World Health Organization regional adviser Massimo Ghidinelli said yesterday global data suggests there is a resurgence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM).

"With the region's MSM population estimated at 10 million, it gives you a clear picture of the extent of the problem," he said.

Ghidinelli is among delegates from around the Western Pacific region in Hong Kong to discuss how to mitigate a possible explosion in HIV and AIDS,

fueled by high partner turnover and low condom use.

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He said 20 percent of men who have sex with men in Phnom Penh admitted they had six or more sex partners, and 8 percent of homosexuals in Ho Chi Minh City admitted having three or more partners in the past month.

"We are facing an emerging catastrophe," said Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health representative Shivananda Khan.

"Unless we intervene now, the level of infection over the next 20 years will double every year and the number of [affected] MSM and trans-gender people will be more than any other population in this region."

HIV/AIDS policy specialist Edmund Settle said governments are under- investing in the area, pointing out there is still homophobia and inadequacy among health-care professionals.

Calling for law reform and human rights protection, he said: "Discriminatory laws, attitude and behavior are undermining effective programming and limiting access to health services, and must be challenged and revised when opportunities arise."

Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok said MSM risk and vulnerability were reinforced by a lack of knowledge, denial and inadequate access to treatment.

"Although Hong Kong's AIDS rate is relatively low at less than 0.1 percent, there has been a rapid rise of MSM cases in recent years with 300 to 400 cases reported annually, and 30 percent through MSM transmission," he said.

HIV and AIDS rates among MSMs are 10 times more prevalent than other risk groups such as sex workers or drug users, he said.

Chow pledged that projects dealing with MSMs will get priority from the HK$350 million AIDS trust fund. He also called for more international cooperation in HIV surveillance.

"With the increasing ease for people to travel the world and find sex partners, the HIV problem will only get worse," he said.

Director of Health Lam Ping Yan said the rise of online dating and the use of psychotropic substances also contribute to the rising trend.

The three-day consultation, which ends tomorrow, is jointly organized by the Department of Health, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Program and the Joint United Nations Programs on HIV/AIDS.

The conference comprises 50 delegates from 13 countries and regions and 30 local observers.