Author Archives: administrator

Expanded meningococcal vaccination recommendation to MSM who have traveled to NYC

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From GLMA:

On March 25, 2013, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) expanded a recommendation issued earlier in March by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) regarding meningococcal vaccinations for men who have sex with men (MSM). These meningococcal vaccine recommendations have been issued in response to an outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in New York City.

Meningococcal disease is a severe bacterial infection of the bloodstream. Common symptoms include high fever, headache, vomiting, stiff neck, and a rash. Symptoms may occur two to 10 days after exposure, but usually within five days. Since 2010, 22 men residing in NYC and one man who resides outside the City, but spent significant time there, have become ill in this outbreak, seven have died.

The recommendation by DOH has been expanded to include MSM residing outside NYC who have traveled to the city and engaged in the risk behaviors described below since September 1, 2012.

The following groups were identified by NYCDOHMH as being at highest risk of IMD and are being advised to obtain a quadravalent meningococcal vaccination:

• All HIV-infected MSM
• MSM, regardless of HIV status, who regularly have close or intimate sexual contact with men met through an online website, digital     application (“app”) or at a bar or party. (Previously, meningococcal vaccination was recommended only for those with contact in certain high risk areas in New York City.)

More information about the meningococcal disease outbreak among at-risk men is available here. Contact your health care provider or local department of health if you need to be vaccinated.

HIV is still the #1 health concern for gay men

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From queerty.com…

A lot of gay men might talk like they’re not worried about HIV, but it still ranks as our number one health concern, according to a new study out of Hunter College.

“The fear is that gay men are tired of hearing about how to prevent HIV, and because of new treatment options, HIV isn’t seen as a big deal anymore,” says Dr. Christian Grov, a researcher at Hunter’s Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training (CHEST).

With a goal to see if men who sleep with men were experiencing such HIV-prevention fatigue, CHEST interviewed more than 650 gay and bisexual men at clubs, gay bars and bathhouses about their health concerns. Interviewees were asked to rank HIV transmission as compared to  smoking, body-image issues, mental health and drug/alcohol use.

HIV/STDs was ranked as the top concern, with mental health and substance abuse tying for second place. “These findings are promising for HIV prevention providers because they suggest many gay and bisexual men still recognize HIV as a top issue for the gay community,” says Grov.

Full story here: www.queerty.com/

Read more at www.queerty.com/study-gay-men-rank-their-top-five-health-concerns

Free HIV educational forum at the University of Pittsburgh

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hiv forum ad

On Wednesday April 17th at 7 PM, the Pitt Men’s Study will be hosting an HIV Educational Forum at the University Club (123 University Place, Oakland).

The forum will feature speakers and a Q & A session. Dinner will be served at 7:30 PM.

Those wanting to attend must register before April 5, 2013, by emailing Jessica McGuiness at pitteventrsvp@gmail.com, or calling 412-383-1674.

Doors open at 7 p.m., dinner is served at 7:30. Speakers and Q&A sessions will follow.

Sponsored by the Pitt Men’s Study.

LGBT invisibility in health care

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From the Huffington Post…

Until very recently, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have been invisible in health care. Most providers do not ask about sexual orientation or gender identity, nor are they trained in the unique health care needs of LGBT people or the health disparities they experience. Many LGBT patients are not “out” to their providers; as a result, they are not screened for issues that may disproportionately affect LGBT people. Moreover, sexual orientation isn’t just about identity. For example, a recent study found that nearly 10 percent of men who identified as straight had had sex with another man in the past year — and these men were less likely to use condoms than men who identified as gay. This underscores the need to ask questions about sexual behavior as well as sexual identity.

[…]Asking about sexual orientation and gender identity in clinical settings is a critical step that will enhance our knowledge of LGBT population health and improve patient-provider interactions. There are important health reasons to ask about sexual orientation and gender identity. For example, providers who know that a patient is a sexually active gay man can warn him about a recent syphilis outbreak and test him for sexually transmitted infections more common among gay men.

Read the full article on the Huffington Post.

New tool can assist adults in obtaining recommended vaccines

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From AIDS.gov:HealthMapVaccineFinder-300x162

While we hear a lot about the importance of getting a flu shot, there are many other vaccines that are recommended for adults. Starting this month, it will be easier to find all of the vaccinations you need. The HealthMap Vaccine Finder Exit Disclaimer is a free online service that helps you locate nearby vaccine providers (such as pharmacies and health clinics) by entering your address or ZIP Code.

In addition to the flu vaccine, the HealthMap Vaccine Finder (previously called the HealthMap Flu Vaccine Finder) now includes locations that provide 10 other vaccines, allowing you to search for providers who offer the following vaccines: hepatitis A; hepatitis B; HPV (human papillomavirus); MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella); varicella (chickenpox); Td (tetanus and diphtheria); Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis); meningococcal; pneumococcal; and zoster (shingles). This builds on the success of the HealthMap Flu Finder, which lists more than 50,000 locations across the country that offer flu vaccinations. Over 125,000 consumers have used the HealthMap Vaccine Finder since August 2012.

To read more, or to find vaccines near you, go to AIDS.gov.

Almost half of Grindr users engaged in unprotected sex despite knowing better

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From Huffington Post Gay Voices:

A new survey focused on gay and bisexual men who use apps such as Grindr, Scruff and Manhunt Grindr users engage in unsafe sex more oftento meet sexual partners found that nearly half had engaged in unprotected sex.

Conducted by New York’s Community Healthcare Network (CHN), “Zero Feet Away: Perpective on HIV/AIDS and Unprotected Sex in Men Who Have Sex With Men Utilizing Location-based Mobile Apps” found that although 80 percent of respondents said they were knowledgable in how the HIV virus was transmitted, 46.4 percent admitted to having bareback sex always, often or sometimes.

The most frequently-cited reason for barebacking among the 725 gay and bisexual men who were surveyed was “with condoms, [sex] does not feel the same.” The poll reportedly received responses from men in Australia, South America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada and the U.S.

“Clearly, we’ve come a long way in educating people about HIV and AIDS,” Dr. Freddy Molano, Assistant Vice President of HIV Programs and Services at CHN, said in the report. “Yet among certain populations, HIV/AIDS is on the ride, and that’s alarming.”

Added co-author Renato Barucco: “The survey findings show a clear disconnect between the reasons why men engage in unprotected anal intercourse and the way prevention initiatives attempt to address risk behaviors.”

Read the full survey here.

A Q&A with Dr. Ron Stall regarding gay men’s health

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Stall-hivision-gay-mens-health-0541-234x300From BETA online:

Dr. Ron Stall, Professor of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, wants prevention efforts to leverage gay men’s strengths rather than focus solely on issues that put them at risk.

Stall’s work with the Urban Men’s Health Study uncovered “syndemics” among gay men: overlapping psychosocial health issues that have an additive effect. Of the health problems that overburden gay men, Stall observes, HIV/AIDS may only be the most recognized; according to his research, the disproportionately high HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) goes hand in hand with documented higher rates of substance use, clinical depression, partner violence, and childhood sexual abuse.

At the same time, however, research by Stall and his colleagues uncovered “resiliencies” that help protect gay men’s health, such as the capacity to resolve substance use problems over time and the ability to remain HIV negative despite having experienced syndemic conditions that would ordinarily increase their HIV risk.

Tapping into these resiliencies, says Stall, could inform HIV-prevention and wellness interventions that truly resonate with gay men and help them keep themselves and their partners healthy and happy.

Read the interview on BETA.

Family Acceptance Project

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The Family Acceptance Project, a San Francisco program aimed at reducing familial rejection of transgender, bisexual, lesbian, and gay youth, was named a “Promising Practice” at an October conference sponsored by the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, and the Latino Mental Health Concilio.

Researchers found, essentially, that supportive and accepting family members can help reduce health disparities, including HIV risk, among LGBT Latino youth and young adults. For more information on the Family Acceptance Project’s work, visit FamilyProject.SFSU.edu.

Health and Human Services releases report of programs to reduce HIV infections among African Americans

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From AIDS.gov:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a report [PDF] describing findings of an interagency collaboration to identify, review, and assess the effectiveness of HHS-funded, discretionary initiatives and programs to reduce HIV infections among African Americans. The report describes relevant prevention programs and initiatives, identifies future opportunities, and provides insights that will help inform strategies to reduce HIV infections among vulnerable African-American populations

The inventory was one of the tasks assigned to HHS in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), which notes that prevention efforts must acknowledge the heavy burden of HIV among Black Americans and target resources accordingly. Based on the most recent data from CDC, African American men and women represent 14 percent of the total U.S. population, but account for a disproportionate 44 percent of all persons living with HIV in the United States.

Read the full article on the AIDS.gov Website.

HPV in men…what you need to know

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From the Huffington Post:

We’re honoring Cervical Health Awareness Month by bringing you the latest information on human papillomavirus, the virus associated with cervical cancer — and with several other types of cancer, including anal, penile and oropharyngeal cancer. HPV is also the virus underlying genital warts. Although much of the conversation about the virus relates to women’s health — cervical cancer is the most common HPV-related cancer by magnitudes — there are many health concerns that uniquely or disproportionately affect men. These include genital warts and anal cancers. And since HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world, it affects a massive percentage of the male population, as well.

Read more on the Huffington Post.

Research supports high-dose flu vaccine for people with HIV

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From philly.com:

A quadruple-dose flu vaccine for the elderly also provides better protection for people with HIV, researchers reported Tuesday in the first of several studies to publish results of high-dose vaccine for people with compromised immune systems.

The team of researchers from Philadelphia institutions will ask a federal advisory committee to recommend high-dose vaccination for HIV-positive people, said Pablo Tebas, an infectious-diseases physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and senior author of the paper in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Read the full article on the Philadelphia Enquirer online.

Syphilis and HIV: A dangerous duo affecting gay and bi men

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From the AIDS.gov blog:

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.

Annual syphilis surveillance data published in the just released 2011 STD Surveillance Reportcontinue to emphasize the disproportionate burden of disease among gay and bisexual men. 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. 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. 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. The stakes are too high to ignore these health disparities. It is critically important that syphilis infections among MSM be promptly diagnosed and treated in order to decrease the rates of subsequent HIV infection.

Read more on AIDS.gov.

Allegheny County health director urges flu vaccinations

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From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Now that the flu season has officially begun — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said so Monday — Allegheny County Health Department Interim Director Ronald E. Voorhees has a message for those still unprotected:

“Get vaccinated. It’s here, and the clock is ticking.”

According to the CDC’s weekly surveillance report published Friday, 48 states and Puerto Rico have reported cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza and, nationally, the percentage of specimens testing positive for influenza is rising fast. Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas all are reporting above-normal cases of flu. Such an uptick usually doesn’t happen until after Christmas.

Read more: allegheny-county-health-director-urges-vaccinations-amid-flu-uptick

Not too late to get your yearly flu vaccine

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NIVW_web-button_180x150_AABy Ronald Valdiserri, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, and Director, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

***

As daylight hours get shorter and temperatures are falling, we’re not only approaching winter but also flu season. While we can all find ways to enjoy the change of seasons, no one enjoys the flu — a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses spread between people. Seasonal flu is a special concern if you are a person living with HIV (PLWH) since HIV can make your body too weak to fight off the flu. HIV also increases your risk for serious flu-related complications. Experts agree that getting the flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the flu.

CDC has designated this week as National Influenza Vaccination Awareness Week, so we encourage you to learn more about the seasonal flu and take steps to protect yourself. Here are some resources to help you:

Remember, it is not too late to get your yearly flu vaccine to protect against the flu viruses experts predict will spread this season. As long as flu viruses are spreading and causing illness, vaccination can provide protection against the flu.

Need for action among black gay and bi men

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From the Huffington Post Blog…

To End AIDS Among Black Gay and Bi Men, There’s a Need for Action

The face of AIDS as imagined by some in America is that of a black gay or bisexual man. Indeed, black gay and bisexual men, or men who have sex with men (MSM), have the highest HIV rates in the country. Black MSM are commonly portrayed as as “down low brothers” who transmit the disease to women by having unsafe sexual relationships with men on the side, or even as carriers of the disease by default, somehow. These stereotypes treat the epidemic as a result of ignorance about safe sexual practices, or of homophobia, and in doing so they offer an overly simplistic solution to a far more complex problem.

What all too often goes unaddressed is the fact that black MSM tend to be at the intersection of multiple identities and challenging circumstances — racism, homophobia and economic disenfranchisement — that adversely affect their access to HIV testing, prevention and treatment. That intersection is a very dangerous place, and our various communities and the federal government have yet to respond adequately to address our health and service needs.

Continuie reading here.

Disproportionate number of new HIV infections occur among youth

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From the CDC:

In a recent report published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Website, researchers concluded that a “disproportionate number of new HIV infections occurs among youths, especially blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and men who have sex with men (MSM).”

The report went on to say that although the number of new HIV infections is highest among men, fewer men have been tested for HIV (as compared to women). Routine HIV testing as part of regular medical care was therefore recommended by the CDC for everyone. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends testing for all youths by age 16–18. They also recommend testing for all sexually active youths regardless of age.

Better adherence to these guidelines, especially for men, is needed to increase early HIV diagnosis and treatment. Treatment is not only critical for the health of the person infected, it is also critical in reducing the chances of spreading the infection to others.

Other key points from the CDC report:

  • Youths aged 13–24 years account for 7% of the estimated 1.1 million persons living with HIV in the United States.
  • In 2010, 26% of estimated new HIV infections were among youths: 57% among blacks/African Americans, 20% among Hispanic/Latinos, and 20% among whites.
  • Nearly 75% of the 12,200 new HIV infections among youths were attributable to male-to-male sexual contact.
  • Only a low percentage of youths have been tested for HIV, and 60% of youths with HIV are unaware of their infection.
  • Young males who have sex with males are at increased risk for HIV because of high rates of HIV in potential sex partners, and they are more likely to engage in HIV-related risk behaviors (e.g., unprotected sexual intercourse and injection drug use) than other male or female high school students.

The report concludes:

More effort is needed to provide effective school- and community-based interventions to ensure all youths, particularly MSM, have the knowledge, skills, resources, and support necessary to avoid HIV infection. Health-care providers and public health agencies should ensure that youths are tested for HIV and have access to sexual health services, and that HIV-positive youths receive ongoing health-care and prevention services.

To read the full report, you can go to the CDC’s Website: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns.

MTV airs HIV positive youth special

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From the Associated Press:

MTV is airing a special next week with profiles of three young people who have the HIV infection, amid worries that some people are taking the condition too casually.

The special, “I’m Positive,” is scheduled to air Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Drew Pinsky, who is one of the show’s producers, said that if it does well, he hopes it can become a regular series.

In three decades, infection with the virus that causes AIDS has gone from a virtual death sentence to a chronic condition that can be controlled with early detection and a drug regimen. But even if it doesn’t develop into full-blown AIDS, there’s still some doubt about the long-term health implications of living with HIV and the drugs designed to keep control of it, Pinsky said.

Read the full article on the AP Website.

Philadelphia FIGHT launches new HIV-prevention project

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From the Philadelphia Gay News:

FIGHT’s Jonathan Lax Treatment Center and Youth-Health Empowerment Project are launching [Philadelphia’s] first Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Program, a prevention initiative aimed at young HIV-negative men who have sex with men. Each participant will also begin a regimen of Truvada, the first-ever drug designed for HIV-prevention, which was originally introduced in 2004. PrEP will consist of in-person group meetings in which the participants will discuss HIV stigma, healthy living, leadership development and other topics. The 15-member group will range in age from 18-29.

Dr. Helen Koenig, physician at the Jonathan Lax Center, along with Noel Ramirez, health-education program coordinator at the Dorothy Mann Center, will spearhead the project. Koenig noted that the center has seen an influx of young men of color coming in, newly diagnosed with HIV. She hopes that PrEP will help stymie this trend.

Read more: PGN-The Philadelphia Gay News

Free screening of “Gen Silent”

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On Wednesday, October 24 there will be a free screening of “Gen Silent” at the Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Avenue in Pittsburgh. Refreshments will be served at 6 PM. The film starts at 6:30 PM. Gen Silent startlingly discovers how oppression in the years before Stonewall now affects older LGBT people with fear and isolation. For more about the film, go to stumaddux.com.

Watch the trailer: