| Don Saklad 2006-05-19, 10:53 am |
| By Zack Hudson
http://www.washblade.com/2006/5-11/...nal/stdrise.cfm
WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2006
[syphilis.jpg]
The primary stage of syphilis is usually marked by a
chancre, an ulcer-like sore. It appears at the spot
where syphilis entered the body, and lasts three to six
weeks. (Photo courtesy CDC)
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NATIONAL NEWS
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Gay men target of syphilis prevention efforts (Gay)
STD conference notes massive rise in cases among gay,
bi men
By ZACK HUDSON
Thursday, May 11, 2006
A dramatic rise in the number of documented syphilis
cases among gay men is prompting federal health
officials to revamp national prevention programs to
specifically target the demographic.
The new plan will begin "an innovative and
comprehensive strategy to stem the tide of rising
infections among men who have sex with men," said Dr.
Kevin Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV,
STD & TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control
& Prevention.
Fenton, who is gay, discussed the new program during
the 2006 National STD Prevention Conference, a
three-day symposium of epidemiologists and medical
researchers held May 8-10 in Jacksonville, Fla.
The CDC's current syphilis prevention program is
credited with helping to significantly reduce the
number of documented cases among women, African
Americans and infants since it began in 1999.
From 1999 to 2004, diagnoses of syphilis in its primary
and secondary stages decreased 37 percent among blacks,
according to data. Infections in newborns were down 39
percent, and infections among women were down 60
percent.
But from 1999 to 2004, the overall rate of documented
syphilis cases in men who have sex with men (MSM) had
increased by 68 percent. A separate study indicated
that MSM made up 64 percent of all cases of the disease
in the United States in 2004, up from only 5 percent in
1999.
The National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis, unveiled May 8
at the STD conference, establishes goals that
conference researchers say will challenge health care
workers to adopt new protocol for treating sexually
active gay men.
First, the plan calls for greater investment and
enhancement of public health services to combat the
growing threat of syphilis outbreaks. Because outbreaks
begin in contained environments like cities, the plan
asks local health providers to establish a Syphilis
Outbreak Response Plan to "address rapid local
increases in syphilis as occurred among men who have
sex with men in some U.S. cities over the past several
years," according to a written outline.
Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of syphilis among
gay men, currently a tricky task, also is pushed to the
forefront. One problem the conference pinpointed is
that most health care providers only perform limited
surveillance of the factors concerning individual
syphilis infections, including information about
patients' sexual histories and recent homosexual
activity.
"But by the end of 2006, all public health departments
across the country will be gathering that information,"
Fenton said May 8.
Drew De Los Reyes, assistant director of the David
Geffen Center for HIV Prevention & Health education at
the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York City, called
the plan a good step forward.
"It actually feels like they're responding to this much
more quickly than they've responded to other things,"
he said.
De Los Reyes stressed that working with community
organizations that interact with gay men regularly will
help the medical community in more efficient and
successful treatment of gay men.
Lesser known diseases on the rise
Gay men who contract syphilis typically have worse
health outcomes than people in other groups because the
condition is diagnosed in later stages, researchers
said.
Syphilis symptoms, most commonly genital lesions, are
harder to pinpoint in gay men because they manifest in
the mouth and anus, and can mimic more common ailments,
doctors said.
"Delayed diagnosis among men who have sex with men may
result in continued risk behavior during the period in
which syphilis can be most easily transmitted," said
Dr. John M. Douglas, Jr., director of the NCHSTP STD
Prevention Division at the CDC.
Other research presented at the conference highlighted
the growing threat of lesser-known sexually transmitted
diseases, which are appearing more frequently among
sexually active people of all sexual orientations
within the U.S.
Lymphogranuloma venereum, long found outside the U.S.,
has emerged as a new STD threat. Caused by a particular
strain of Chlamydia bacteria, LGV cases in the
U.S.--still relatively few--are most often found in men
who have participated in receptive anal intercourse.
http://www.washblade.com/2006/5-11/...nal/stdrise.cfm
By Zack Hudson
|