Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a stigmatised group in Africa, but a predominant actor in the transmission of HIV. Recognising this vulnerability and developing better prevention programmes targeted to this population will ultimately reduce the wider public health impact of HIV epidemic.

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Dr Sanders is a public health physician and epidemiologist affiliated with Oxford University and supported by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). He initiated the establishment of the District Hospital HIV care and research programme in Kilifi in 2003 and is the principal investigator of several observational studies involving mostly men who have sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSW) in Kilifi and Malindi Districts. His research includes studies of acute HIV infections, HIV-exposed sero-negatives, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) which are conducted at a satellite KEMRI-clinic in Mtwapa, and Community HIV Centre, in Kilifi. He is an advisor to the Ministry of Health’s working group on ‘Most at Risk Populations’ and his interests include public health interventions to reduce HIV transmission in vulnerable populations; early diagnosis of acute HIV infections and prevention of onward transmission; bacterial STI in high risk populations, and HIV-1 early treatment trials.