Gay men help fuel rise in Chicago syphilis cases
Gay men help fuel rise in Chicago syphilis cases
By Gary Barlow Staff writer
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
Gay men who become infected with syphilis more than once may be helping to fuel recent jumps in Chicago’s syphilis rates, Chicago Department of Public Health researchers said at a national conference on sexually transmitted diseases May 8.
Speaking at the National STD Prevention Conference in Jacksonville, Fla., the CDPH team noted that syphilis infections among gay and bisexual men in Chicago accounted for 73 percent of the city’s syphilis cases in 2005, up from 54 percent in 2004.
CDPH officials seeking to understand the increase in order to devise more effective prevention programs looked at cases between 2000 and 2005. The researchers found that 10 percent of the gay and bisexual men who tested positive for syphilis had repeat infections, compared with only 1 percent of women and 0.5 percent of heterosexual men.
“Repeat infection with syphilis among a subset of gay and bisexual men may be an important factor behind the sustained transmission of the diseases in this population,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for HIV/STD and TB Prevention.
Fenton added, “Finding ways to reach this group with effective prevention interventions is critical if we are to reverse rising rates of syphilis cases in the United States.”
At the conference, the CDC announced its updated national syphilis elimination plan, noting that studies suggest that about 64 percent of all syphilis cases nationally in 2004 were among gay and bisexual men. The plan calls on local health authorities to devote significant portions of their syphilis elimination funding to community-based organizations that work with affected populations and to develop Internet-based interventions aimed at gay and bisexual men who meet sex partners online.
It also urges prevention outreach and STD screening at gay-oriented bathhouses and bookstores.
By Gary Barlow Staff writer
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
Gay men who become infected with syphilis more than once may be helping to fuel recent jumps in Chicago’s syphilis rates, Chicago Department of Public Health researchers said at a national conference on sexually transmitted diseases May 8.
Speaking at the National STD Prevention Conference in Jacksonville, Fla., the CDPH team noted that syphilis infections among gay and bisexual men in Chicago accounted for 73 percent of the city’s syphilis cases in 2005, up from 54 percent in 2004.
CDPH officials seeking to understand the increase in order to devise more effective prevention programs looked at cases between 2000 and 2005. The researchers found that 10 percent of the gay and bisexual men who tested positive for syphilis had repeat infections, compared with only 1 percent of women and 0.5 percent of heterosexual men.
“Repeat infection with syphilis among a subset of gay and bisexual men may be an important factor behind the sustained transmission of the diseases in this population,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for HIV/STD and TB Prevention.
Fenton added, “Finding ways to reach this group with effective prevention interventions is critical if we are to reverse rising rates of syphilis cases in the United States.”
At the conference, the CDC announced its updated national syphilis elimination plan, noting that studies suggest that about 64 percent of all syphilis cases nationally in 2004 were among gay and bisexual men. The plan calls on local health authorities to devote significant portions of their syphilis elimination funding to community-based organizations that work with affected populations and to develop Internet-based interventions aimed at gay and bisexual men who meet sex partners online.
It also urges prevention outreach and STD screening at gay-oriented bathhouses and bookstores.
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