In sub-Saharan African countries where homosexuality is legal, gay and bisexual men still likely to have ever tested for HIV

After more than 40 years since the AIDS pandemic of the early 1980s, are they still practicing unsafe sex?

"In sub-Saharan African countries where homosexuality is legal, gay and bisexual men were 2X as likely to have ever tested for HIV compared to countries where it’s illegal, according to a BMJ study that also found countries with targeted HIV policies for this key population saw a more than twofold testing increase."

"Background HIV incidence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains high compared with the general population. ... This study examines how HIV testing of adult MSM in SSA varies according to the legal climate and presence of targeted HIV policy using data from the cross-sectional 2019 Global LGBTI Internet Survey study. ...

Results We find evidence that legalised same-sex relationships were associated with increased odds of ever testing (OR=2.00, 95% CI 1.04, 3.82) in multilevel analyses. We also find evidence of an association of targeted HIV policies with increased odds of ever testing (OR=2.49, 95% CI 1.12, 5.52). ..."

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Association of same-sex criminalisation laws and national HIV policies with HIV testing in African MSM: an ecological single-level and multilevel cross-sectional study of sub-Saharan African countries (no public access)