Posted on 02/06/2006 2:55:11 PM PST by DBeers
WASHINGTON -- A particularly bad strain of chlamydia not usually seen in this country appears to be slowly spreading among gay and bisexual men, an infection that can increase their chances of getting or spreading the AIDS virus.
Called LGV chlamydia, this sexually transmitted disease has caused a worrisome outbreak in Europe, where some countries have confirmed dozens of cases. Diagnoses confirmed by U.S. health officials still are low, just 27 since they warned a year ago that the strain was headed here.
But specialists say that's undoubtedly a fraction of the infections, because this illness is incredibly hard to diagnose: Few U.S. clinics and laboratories can test for it. Painful symptoms can be mistaken for other illnesses, such as irritable bowel syndrome.
And because LGV chlamydia doesn't always cause noticeable symptoms _ right away, at least _ an unknown number of people may silently harbor and spread it, along with an increased risk of HIV transmission.
"My feeling is that what we're seeing now is still the tip of the iceberg," says Dr. Philippe Chiliade of the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., which diagnosed its first few cases of LGV last month and is beginning to push for asymptomatic men to be screened.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already was counting an 8 percent increase in HIV among gay and bisexual men between 2003 and 2004, before LGV's arrival was recognized.
"We are really concerned about this," says Dr. Catherine McLean of CDC's HIV and STD prevention program.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
DUH...
well i'm shocked.....
Just waiting for some "Typhoid Mary" Male Flight atttendant to bring it here to the US.
This disease spreads through a lack of federal funding. Like AIDS.
Tip of something, anyway.
IT's from all that Brokeback Mountin'...
So, no doubt they'll handle it like AIDS and make it illegal to identify or discriminate against anyone who carries it.
LGV is neither rare nor confined to gays.
Hmmmm... "spreading among gay and bisexual men" -what pray tell could be causing this among "gay and bisexual" men? One would think someone would analyze the data and issue some specific warnings. I would hope that political correctness does not supercede societal health matters -if it did one might think there was some agenda being promoted or promulated...
Another "gift that keeps on giving".
Didn't cover this in Brokeback Mountain did they?
Nature's way of telling you something's wrong.
Will this be in the next episode of "Queer Eye"?
geez. i guess this is gonna get the green monkeys off the hook for a while.
"Bareback Mounted"
Ugh. I didn't need that reminder of where gays get infected with STD's. GROSS!!!!!!
[Rare Chlamydia Strain Infecting Gay Men]
So if I want to avoid getting this disease, I just need to NOT have sex with other men.
NO PROBLEM!
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