A decline in HIV prevalence among the general population has been achieved through improvements to HIV prevention and treatment services for gay men, and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). Fridae's Laurindo Garcia reports from Vienna.

This new, compelling data, was presented on Saturday in Vienna, Austria by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights.

Analyses from four countries - Malawi, Peru, Thailand and Ukraine – demonstrated that when HIV among MSM was properly addressed through adequate services and treatment, the broader community benefited dramatically. Statistical models from all four countries showed a downturn in general prevalence of HIV after targeted interventions addressed the specific needs of gay men and MSM.

The breakthrough announcement was made by researcher Chris Beyrer, MD in the lead-up to the start of the 2010 International AIDS Conference. Beyrer’s survey was part of an investigation into the global HIV epidemic among MSM, supported by the World Bank.

Beyrer's research has found that in many cases HIV prevalence is higher among gay men and other MSM, when compared to the general population. In some cases the prevalence among MSM was two-times higher than that of the general population. This led researchers to investigate the impact of increased care and support for concentrated epidemics. What they found was by specifically addressing most-at-risk populations such as gay men and MSM, it reduced the overall prevalence of the virus.

Read the full article on Fridae.com.