Health News
2006-02-23
Syphilis
spreading rapidly among gays in Kansas City
Health officials
launch syphilis education campaign for gay and bisexual
men.
Newly diag
Newly diagnosed
syphilis cases more than doubled in 2005 in Kansas City,
Mo., leading health officials to launch a new educational
campaign urging safer sex, particularly among gay and
bisexual men, who accounted for the majority of the
new cases, The Kansas City Star reports. City
health officials recorded 117 new syphilis cases in 2005,
up from 53 in 2004. Gay and bisexual men accounted for more
than half of the new cases diagnosed last year; 50 of
the gay men diagnosed with syphilis also were
coinfected with HIV.
The public
awareness campaign urges gay and bisexual men to get tested
for the sexually transmitted disease and to practice safer
sex, particularly because an active syphilis infection
dramatically increases the chances of becoming
infected with or transmitting HIV. The campaign
includes ads in newspapers, radio spots aimed at youth, and
brochures distributed at local gay venues. One of the
city’s drag divas, John Koop, whose stage name
is Flo, also has been recruited to talk about the STD
during performances in the region. (Advocate.com)
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