ECOM Presents First Results of Chemsex Study at 19th European AIDS Conference

The 19th European AIDS Conference (EACS 2023), organized by the European AIDS Clinical Society, took place from 18 to 21 October in Warsaw, Poland.

Every two years, the world's largest scientific conference brings together leading scientists, doctors and figures in the field of prevention, treatment and introduction of new approaches to overcoming the HIV epidemic.

Nikolay Lunchenkov, an infectious disease doctor, LGBT Health Coordinator at ECOM, presented at the conference the preliminary results of the first study on Chemsex in Kazakhstan.

During the panel discussion, Nikolay spoke about motivation and risk perception among the study respondents.

"It's the first study of this kind in Central Asia, based on qualitative methodology. At the moment, we're analyzing respondents using two criteria: motivation and risk perception. Further analysis of the data will open additional categories. Our results are unique, it's the first focused information on this subject. It's also an example of effective cooperation between specialized participants: at the level of local NGOs, the state and us, as a regional coalition,” notes Nikolay.

This study is the next step in work at the level of communities and with the support of communities in Kazakhstan.

ECOM accumulates original research that is carried out in the EECA region and covers very specific subjects. The expertise of ECOM and the coalition's contribution as a scientific research group are in demand by the scientific community, which is demonstrated by the European AIDS Clinical Community's interest in ECOM's work.

“In the future, the results of the study will allow us to develop an educational module for public organizations and practicing doctors in Kazakhstan. This will help promote and support the integration of services specific to Chemsex into the standard package of medical services for MSM and bisexuals,” adds Nikolay Lunchenkov.

EACS 2023 featured research in different areas: new HIV treatment strategies, including treatment simplification and long-acting therapy; concomitant diseases and aging; the quality of life; studies conducted in the EECA region. News coverage of the conference is available on NAM aidsmap.