Grant: Operating Grant - PA: CHVI Vaccine Discovery and Social Research

Certain groups of individuals are more at risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV than others, and evidence suggests that public health interventions that cater to these groups can be most effective at preventing HIV in a population. Marginalized groups include female sex workers, intravenous drug users, and men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM have been particularly neglected in sub-Saharan Africa; these men experience stigma due to the illegality of homosexuality in kenya and high rates of HIV infection. The subset of MSM who sell sex are even further marginalized. For this reason, we aim to understand the epidemiology, immunology, and genetics of HIV risk in this understudied population. We make use of a large HIV prevention and care program in Nairobi that has already made contact with and provided services to nearly 800 MSM. In preliminary studies we have high rates of HIV infection, and high rates of acquiring HIV, and a diversity of HIV risk taking behavior (approximately 1/3 use condoms all the time; more than 1/3 also have sex with women). This opportunity represents an important first step to the design of better HIV prevention strategies like vaccines or microbicides for this important population.