In 2008, ManCount hit the streets of Vancouver to measure rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections affecting gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM).
The ManCount Survey Team went to bars, nightclubs, pubs, and cafés in the village and other locations around the city. Participating men completed a survey and gave a finger-prick blood sample.
The ManCount survey is designed for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, in order to measure the level of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in the community (such as syphilis, Hepatitis C, and Human Papilloma Virus). The survey also measures sexual behaviours and other factors that help to explain why these infections occur. The goal is to repeat the ManCount survey every few years in order to monitor whether these infections and behaviours are increasing or decreasing.
ManCount is the Vancouver site of the M-Track national survey involving several Canadian cities, including Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Victoria, and is sponsored by the Public Health Agency of Canada. M-Track is a second generation surveillance system uncovering Canadian trends in HIV, viral hepatitis (hepatitis C), sexually transmitted infections and related risk behaviours among gay, bisexual men, two-spirit men, and other men who have sex with men.
ManCount is organized by the Public Health Agency of Canada, Vancouver Coastal Health, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the Community Based Research Centre and the Health Initiative for Men.
