Almost 200 local men have signed up for the Caribbean Men's Internet Survey (CARIMIS), a survey aimed at learning more about the group called "Men who have sex with Men" (MSM).

At a UNAIDS-hosted press conference at the Hotel Normandie, St Ann's yesterday, Dr Ernest Massiah, director of UNAIDS Caribbean Regional Support Team (RST), said the survey and the resulting accumulated data will serve to assist the UN in its goals of reducing the sexual transmission of HIV, improving access to treatment and the elimination of HIV among children.

He also said that UNAIDs was aiming at eliminating the related stigma and discrimination to make it easier for MSMs to access treatment and care.

Massiah said they have received completed surveys from about 1,000 men but were targeting an overall sample size of 3,000 MSMs throughout the Caribbean to partake in the survey.

A UNAIDS Trinidad and Tobago and Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) study showed that spending on prevention interventions on the high risk group of MSM, sex workers and substance users amounted to less than one per cent of total expenditure between 2004 and 2009.

Kent Kildera, director of the MSM initiative from the Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR), said his organisation would provide funding not to exceed US$20,000 to organisations like the Coalition Advocating for Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO) and Friends for Life whose representatives Colin Robinson and Luke Sinnette were also in attendance yesterday.

Kildera said amFAR would decide on the amount of their subvention to organisations after an open bid proposal process.