An "incredible rise" in he incidence of syphilis amongst young gay and bi men in Christchurch is likely to be a result of often anonymous sexual hookups arranged over the internet with an accompanying lack of sexual health messages reaching at-risk men, according to a Christchurch sexual health expert. Dr Edward Coughlan of Christchurch says the incidence of Syphilis, primarily amongst men who have sex with men in their early 20s, has surged in the past eight months with over 50 men in the city now diagnosed with syphilis. Syphilis is generally transmitted from person to person through oral or genital sex practices. Left untreated the disease can ultimately lead to neurological problems such as paranoia and a staggering gait, also blindness, incontinence, deafness and facial disfigurment. Early symptoms of syphilis can be subtle but should not be ignored, says Coughlan. Those symptons include slight but definite body skin rash patches, small red patches on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, persistent sniffles and alopecia, or unexpected hair loss. Half of the young men identified in Christchurch to have contracted the disease still had no symptoms and were only identified through contact tracing starting with men who already had symptoms. Treatment of syphilis is a relatively simple process if it is caught early enough. Coughlan says reaching vulnerable sexually active men with alerts to ensure they practise safer sexual techniques and also get tested every three to six months is difficult as internet-based contact sites such as dating sites and locator apps such as Grinder tend to isolate such men from glbti-focussed community health initiatives. He says the Canterbury District Health Board and the NZ AIDS Foundation are currently looking at initiatives to reach these men and head off a further blowout of syphilis. Syphilis tests are available at sexual health clinics, through GPs and free from the NZAF's centre in St Albans.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 21st September 2012 - 3:54pm