Health News
2007-03-22
Syphilis on the
rise among gay men in Arizona
The U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention says syphilis, a
sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria, is on the
The U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention says syphilis, a
sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria, is on the
rise among gay men in Maricopa County, Arizona,
reports Arizona State University's Web Devil online
newspaper, at www.StatePress.com.
Syphilis cases
have tripled among gay men in Maricopa County in the past
three years, reaching 175 cases in 2006. In the same year
there were 142 cases among heterosexual people. Last
year was the first year since the 1980s that syphilis
cases among gay men outnumbered cases among
heterosexuals.
Syphilis can be
transmitted through fluids or skin-to-skin contact and
may increase risk of HIV infection if herpes and syphilis
sores are present.
Freddy Roman,
assistant director of the Wellness and Health Promotion
department at Arizona State, which is in the Maricopa
County of Tempe, says students don't always practice
safe sex.
"Young people in
general are taking risks that will expose them to
sexually transmitted infections." Roman said.
The campus
fraternity for gay, bisexual, and questioning students,
Sigma Phi Beta, says it has regular presentations on safe
sex and strives to keep its members informed about
sexual health. (The Advocate).
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