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The
health of female sex workers in Hong Kong
Hong
Kong Med J 2003;9:471-473
Two doctors warned that, the hesitation
of local female sex workers (FSWs) to seek for medical care, together
with the inevitable close personal contact during their work, do
not only put their health under risk, but also cause a potential
“time-bomb” in the episodes of infectious diseases in
Hong Kong. They expressed their concern to the health of FSWs in
their article published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal.
In a local study, the prevalence of
surface antibody of hepatitis B virus, which is transmitted during
sex and far more infectious than HIV, was revealed to be 62% among
FSWs, compared with 33% in the general population. FSWs have very
long working hour, which restricts them from doing any outdoor exercise
or cooking at home, while also encouraging unhealthy lifestyles
such as smoking or gambling. On the other hand, the social rejection
and isolation against FSWs has serious repercussions on the health
provisions available to them, and on their willingness to seek medical
care.
While many countries have taken measures
to improve the health care of FSWs, Hong Kong has been avoiding
much of the debate, because mandatory screening is often associated
with legalization of prostitution. Very few studies have been conducted
to investigate the health of FSWs or those involved in the commercial
sex industry.
The authors suggested offering free
vaccination against hepatitis B to all sex workers to avoid spread
of the disease. Better outreach medical care should be provided
to FSWs, and more education should be provided to medical practitioners
to help them overcome barriers of discussing sensitive issues such
as sex and sexually transmitted diseases.
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