Barebacking is risky business

The rate of unprotected sex amongst the GLBTi community is on the rise but some don’t understand why.

The increase in porn flicks that show unprotected “barebacking” as normal behaviour are on the rise from US and European markets and guys seem to think this is now “The Norm, Cool or OK”. Well we have news for you, It isn’t!

We all should know the risk of unprotected sex there are so many STI’s and STD’s which include:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• Syphilis
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• HIV / AIDS
• HPV (human papillomavirus)

Infectious Syphilis notifications in inner Sydney has risen quite dramatically from 1999 to 2003

Syphilis has been re-established among the homosexual men in Sydney & HIV positive men are over-represented. More frequent screening is needed in this population to curb the transmission of both syphilis and HIV

In 1998, 48 cases of infectious syphilis notifications were made.

In 1999, 95 cases syphilis notifications and in 2000 only 80 were notified in 2001, 75 were notified after 2 years of the infectious syphilis notifications had dropped. And in 2002 the number rocketed up to 130 cases then in 2003 climbed right up to 230 cases.

Prior to the HIV epidemic there were epidemics of bacterial STD’s and Hepatitis A and B amongst gay men.

The wide spread of changes in sexual behaviors made by gay men in response to HIV were sufficient to cut the epidemics of gonorrhea and syphilis their incident dropping to almost zero levels amongst gay men in the late 1980’s. But these are no on the rise again.

The return of STI’s amongst gay men led to calls to better integrate social health, STI control and HIV prevention and treatment. Improvements in treatment and the “normalisation” of HIV as a chronic illness led to perceiving HIV as more like other STI’s

STI prevention is NOT the same as HIV protection and safe sex is for STD prevention – NOT STI prevention

The care educational message for STI prevention should be:

• Know about the symptoms get them checked by a doctor
• Have regular STI screening
• Know how to ask your doctor about STI screening and symptoms
• Complete any course of antibiotics if you have an STI
• with bacterial STI obtain from sex until treatment is completed
• when a vaccine exists get vaccinated

There is no excuse for careless behaviour. Contact ACON, STI Health your local GP for further information on STI and STD prevention.

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