In Asia, the frequent use of dating apps has resulted in a rise in HIV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases in the gay population, especially adolescent girls. The observation comes from a report published by the United Nations (UN) following a two-year survey of Asian-Pacific adolescents aged 15-19. The assessment drawn up by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and UNAIDS establishes a correlation between the increasingly frequent use of applications intended to find a partner and the resurgence of AIDS cases and, more broadly, , sexually transmitted diseases in the study population.
According to the report, dating sites are identified as risk factors in promoting infections especially in young gay and bisexual men. “In 2014, it was estimated that at least 220,000 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 were living with HIV in the region,” the report observes. Large Asian cities like Bangkok and Hong Kong are considered hotbeds of new infections.
A necessary awareness
The UN agencies therefore urgently advocate the establishment by governments of HIV prevention strategies for these populations at risk. The avenues proposed go through preventive laws, and sensitization of young generations through social networks to social networks and in schools of the risks they run by adopting unprotected sexual behavior.
This UN report is not the first to warn of this danger associated with dating sites. Last September, the association for the fight against AIDS “Aids” was already warning against mobile dating applications such as Tinder or Grinder, suspected of promoting the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
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