Almost half of Hong Kong men who sleep with prostitutes believe they have no chance of contracting Aids, a survey has shown.
The Chinese University poll, in which 2,065 men were interviewed in June, showed less than five per cent of men who paid for sex were aware of the health risks involved.
It also revealed that one third of men do not believe using condoms is an effective way of preventing Aids. A total of 27.5 per cent said they would not use a condom with a mainland prostitute, compared to 12 per cent with a Hong Kong prostitute, 11.9 per cent with a Macau prostitute and 15 per cent with one from another country.
Joseph Lau Tak-fai, director of the university's Centre for Clinical Trials and Epidemiological Research, warned of a misconception among SAR men that sex workers on the mainland were healthier or disease-free.
He said 10 per cent of men in the poll had contracted sexually transmitted diseases in the past six months after paying for sex on the mainland - compared to only one per cent of those visiting prostitutes in Hong Kong.
Dr Lau called for more public education to promote the use of condoms. Only 3.1 per cent of those who had visited prostitutes thought they were exposed to a high risk of contracting Aids - compared with two per cent in 1999 and 4.9 per cent in 1998.
