Background:  Of the 84,630 reported cases of HIV in Malaysia by December 2008, 1.9% self-identified to have contracted the virus through homosexual or bisexual activity. Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, accounted for 3.1% of the country’s newly-reported HIV cases in 2008. Homosexuality is heavily stigmatized in Malaysian society. Data on HIV prevalence, basic risk behavioral profile, and vulnerabilities are scarce.

Methods:  An adaptation of venue-day-time-sampling (VDTS) was applied to identify venues where men congregate for the purpose of meeting or soliciting sex from other men. Three clubs, 2 massage parlors, 8 saunas, and one park were selected. A total of 517 men were enrolled into the study. Data collection included a self-administered risk-behavior questionnaire and an oral rapid HIV test. 

Results:  The majority of respondents were Malays (47%) and Chinese (43.7%). Twenty tested HIV⁺ (3.9%). HIV prevalence by recruitment site were 1.5% (parks, n = 136), 3.4% (clubs, n = 207), 4.9% (saunas, n = 163) and 27.3% (massage parlors, n = 11). One in 4 respondents reported having more than 5 male partners in the last 6 months. Those who had unprotected sex with a casual partner (44.9%) were almost 3 times more likely to be HIV⁺ compared to those who did not (OR = 2.99; 95%CI 1.13 to 7.90; P =0.027). Those who were receptive partners in unprotected sex (27.9%) were also more likely to be HIV positive (OR = 2.71; 95%CI 1.10 to 6.54; P =0.030). Men who reported having had group sex (33.3%) had increased risk of HIV infection (OR = 3.95; 95%CI 1.55 to 10.09; P =0.004); 16.1% had sex with a female partner in the past 6 months. In terms of knowledge of HIV transmission, 61.3% gave correct answers to at least 7 out of 9 basic questions. Among the 20 who tested HIV⁺, 45% had at least 7 correct answers.

Conclusions: These findings will be useful in guiding intervention program targeted at the MSM population and provide a baseline measure to assess future impact of intervention. Future expansion of the study to include other locations and periodical surveillance will provide a more comprehensive view of the epidemic.