Engage other sectors (business, transportation, housing) to help promote STD prevention and sexual health.Use a condom correctly each time you have sex and/or practice mutual monogamy with an uninfected partner to reduce your risk of getting syphilis.Get tested for STDs-go to or call 800-CDC-INFO to find a site near you.Talk openly with partner(s) about STDs and testing.Talk openly with your doctor or health care provider and ask to be tested-your health depends on it.Test patients according to CDC’s STD testing recommendations at the site of exposure.Assess their patients’ risk for STDs, especially MSM.Together we can bring these conversations out of the shadows: Many Americans are reluctant to discuss sexual health issues, though STDs are very common.
However, governments’ efforts cannot do it alone-broader action is also needed by all parties involved. Action plans guided by the best available science and input from partners are also being implemented to help individuals and communities overcome environmental forces that increase the risk of acquiring an STD. One example is the movement to go beyond disease-specific prevention approaches and provide more comprehensive, holistic sexual healthcare through Program Collaboration and Service Integration-an effort to organize and blend interrelated health issues (like HIV and STD prevention), activities, and prevention strategies to facilitate comprehensive delivery of services. CDC is working with program partners to take action to confront the underlying causes of STD disparities. Risk behavior alone does not explain the disproportionate STD burden these men face-complex issues like homophobia and stigma also help fuel the infections. Moving Forward: MSM and Syphilis PreventionIf we are to tackle the root causes of health disparities among gay and bisexual men, we must confront the underlying conditions that place this population at greater risk for STDs. It is critically important that syphilis infections among MSM be promptly diagnosed and treated in order to decrease the rates of subsequent HIV infection. The stakes are too high to ignore these health disparities. This is especially concerning, as data from several major cities throughout the country indicate that an average of four in 10 MSM with syphilis are also infected with HIV.
There is an estimated 2- to 5-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV if exposed to that infection when syphilis is present, and studies have also shown that syphilis will increase the viral load of someone who is already HIV infected. While the health problems caused by syphilis in adults are serious in their own right, it has been shown that the genital sores caused by syphilis make it easier to transmit and acquire HIV infection sexually. What is causing this shift? And what should we be doing differently? Syphilis & HIVAnnual syphilis surveillance data published in the just released 2011 STD Surveillance Report continue to emphasize the disproportionate burden of disease among gay and bisexual men. A growing number of these cases have been reported among young MSM, with the highest rates being found in men 20-29 years old. However, the tide shifted and cases began to increase among gay and bisexual men, referred to as men who have sex with men (MSM) in CDC data systems. During the 1990s, syphilis primarily occurred among heterosexual men and women of racial and ethnic minority groups. Their active pursuit ( chasing) of the HIV virus ( bug) gives rise to their moniker.Trend data released today in CDC’s 2011 STD Surveillance Report show that primary and secondary syphilis rates are increasing among gay and bisexual men, who now account for more than 70% of all infections. A gathering of multiple gay men convened with the express purpose of seroconverting HIV-negative men (“ bug chasers”) by engaging in sex with HIV-infected partners (“gift givers”).īeside above, what does getting Pozzed mean?īugchasing, also known in slang as charging, is the practice, typically among gay men or men who have sex with men, of pursuing sexual activity with HIV-positive individuals in order to contract HIV.īug chasers are HIV-negative men who actively seek unprotected sex with HIV-positive partners, so that they themselves can become HIV-infected. YW! What does POZ mean? POZ is an acronym, abbreviation or slang word that is explained above where the POZ definition is given.Īdditionally, what is a bug party? bug party. The Meaning of POZ POZ means "HIV positive" So now you know - POZ means "HIV positive" - don't thank us.
Similarly, you may ask, what does POZ mean? They began in New York in the Nineties as informal gatherings for HIV-positive gay men. The research coincides with a report looking at so-called " Poz Parties", in which HIV-positive men meet to have unprotected sex (known in some gay communities as "bare-backing").