Search

Background: The Internet has become a common venue for meeting sex partners and planning participation in risky sexual behavior. In this article, we evaluate the first 18 months of the Washington, DC, Department of Health Internet-based Partner Notification (IPN) program for early syphilis infections, using the standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Disease Investigation Specialist (DIS) disposition codes, as well as Washington, DC, Department of Health's IPN-specific outcomes for pseudonymous partners. Methods: We analyzed DIS disposition codes and IPN-specific outcomes from all early syphilis investigations initiated January 2007-June 2008. Internet partners were defined as sex partners for whom syphilis exposure notification was initiated by e-mail because no other locating information existed. If the e-mails resulted in additional locating information, we used the standard CDC disposition codes. Alternatively, the following IPN-specific outcomes were used: Informed of Syphilis Exposure, Informed of General STD Exposure, Not Informed or Unable to Confirm Receipt of General STD Exposure. Results: From the 361 early syphilis patients, a total of 888 sex partners were investigated, of which 381 (43%) were via IPN. IPN led to an 8% increase in the overall number of syphilis patients with at least one treated sex partner, 26% more sex partners being medically examined and treated if necessary, and 83% more sex partners notified of their STD exposure. Conclusions: IPN augmented traditional syphilis case management and aided in the location, notification, testing, and treatment of partners. Conversely, without IPN, these 381 partners would not have been investigated. DOI: 10.1097/OLQ.0b013e3181e212cb

Background: The purpose of this project was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Boston area who had been sexually active (oral and/or anal sex) with another male within the past year. Methods: Over a 1-month period (March 2007), asymptomatic MSM in care at a Boston community health center (n = 114) were screened for gonorrhea and chlamydia using the BD ProbeTec technique. Deidentified medical record data were analyzed and linked to prevalence monitoring results. Results: Eleven percent of the sample tested positive for one of the 2 STDs (gonorrhea or chlamydia) from at least one mucosal site. Individuals who were infected with an STD were considerably more likely to have a prior history of one or more STD infections when compared with those without an STD history (OR = 3.69; P Conclusions: Screening asymptomatic MSM using nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) revealed a substantial STD burden that might not have been diagnosed using traditional assays. These data are critical for the design of effective public health interventions for this population.

Objectives: This study assessed the acceptability and perceived utility of Internet-based partner notification (PN) of sexually transmitted disease (STD) exposure for men who have sex with men (MSM) by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serostatus. Study Design: We recruited 1848 US MSM via a banner advertisement posted on an MSM website for meeting sexual partners between October and November 2005. Results: Even though there was broad acceptance of a PN e-mail across HIV serostatus groups, HIV-infected men rated the importance of each component (e.g., information about where to get tested/treated, additional education regarding the STD exposed to, a mechanism for verifying the authenticity of the PN e-mail) lower than HIV-uninfected or status-unknown participants (all P's Conclusions: Overall, this study documents broad acceptance of Internet PN by at-risk MSM, regardless of HIV serostatus, including a willingness to receive or initiate PN-related e-mail. If public health officials consider using Internet notification services, they may need to anticipate and address concerns of HIV-infected MSM, and will need to use a culturally-sensitive, social marketing campaign to ensure that those who may benefit from these services are willing to use this modality for PN. Internet PN should be considered as a tool to decrease rising STD and HIV rates among MSM who use the Internet to meet sexual partners.

Stigmatizing social environments (of which ‘structural stigma’ is one component) negatively affect health-related outcomes. However, few studies have examined structural stigma related to sexual minority status as a risk factor for HIV outcomes among MSM.

Objectives. We assessed Boston-area men who have sex with men (MSM) in terms of their knowledge of partner notification (PN)/partner counseling and referral services (PCRS) and intentions to use such services if exposed to/infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the future.Methods. The study used a convenience sample of STD clinic patients (n=48) and a modified respondent-driven sampling method (n=70) to reach a diverse sample of MSM (total sample n=118) in Massachusetts. Participants completed a one-on-one, open-ended, semistructured qualitative interview and quantitative survey.Results. Overall, white, HIV-infected MSM had the highest level of knowledge about PN activities. MSM who were unfamiliar with PN were disproportionately nonwhite and HIV-uninfected. Participants were more likely to notify past partners of HIV exposure than STD exposure. The preferred method of PN for the majority of MSM was direct person-to-person notification. Notably, nonwhite participants were more likely to endorse Massachusetts Department of Public Health PN services than white MSM, who preferred involvement of primary care providers.Conclusions. PN is an important public health strategy for treating and preventing STDs and HIV among at-risk populations, especially MSM who engage in sexual behavior with anonymous or otherwise non-notifiable sexual partners. Although many MSM had an understanding of the ethical desirability of informing exposed partners and recognized the value of preventative behaviors, they require further education to overcome barriers to PN as well as to gain knowledge of the various methods of both traditional and nontraditional notification, such as Internet PN.

IntroductionDue to the disproportionate impact of HIV on men who have sex with men (MSM), public health messaging encourages routine STI and HIV screening among this population. While STI testing services are often situated within high prevalence areas, providing accurate population estimates of MSM, and their subsequent movements, remains limited. This study sought to explore the relationship between STI clinic locations and operating hours and real time locations of MSM using mobile applications. MethodsUsing global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, location data were collected over a 7 day period from MSM in a mid sized US city who used a mobile phone application for the purpose of engaging in social and sexual interactions with other men. Data points were collected hourly for all men online, including their GPS position and self reported profile demographics (i.e. race/ethnicity and age). Aggregated data points were plotted onto a map of the city along with the position of Health Department STI testing locations.ResultsData were collected from a total 5083 individual men. Young men accounted for nearly half of all participants, with 45.4% indicating they were between the ages of 18–24% and 54.6% being 25 years of age or older. Ethnicities included Latino (49.1%), white (30.4%), African American (6.4%), and Other (14.1%). During a 24 hour period 85.3% of all online activity occurred between 7pm and 7am, with 8pm being the hour of the day in which the most people were online (22.9%). The median distance between an individual and a STI clinic was 3.8 miles. Latino and African American men and those under the age of 25 were significantly more likely to be farther away from STI testing services than men who were White or older (p<0.05)ConclusionFindings highlight location differences among MSM based on age and race, and suggest the need to further explore how these differences influence MSM sexual health. Additional examination of the integration of real time GPS data into STI prevention programing is warranted.