Outbreak of syphilis in men who have sex with men living in rural North Wales (UK) associated with the use of social media

Thomas, Daniel; Williams, Chris; Andrady, Ushan; Anderson, Valerie; Humphreys, Sioned; Midgley, Claire M; Fina, Laia; Craine, Noel; Porter-Jones, Gary; Wilde, Alison; Whiteside, C.

doi:10.1136/sextrans-2015-052323

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The increasing use of social media applications for finding sexual partners, particularly among MSM, has been frequently associated with increases in sexually transmitted infection (STI) despite limited evidence. Geospatial apps and websites, however, also provide an opportunity to reach key groups with public health messaging, although such campaigns need to be effectively designed to allow for an impact on outbreak control [ 39 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Section: Outbreaksmentioning

confidence: 99%

The resurgence of syphilis in high-income countries in the 2000s: a focus on Europe

et al. 2019

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Syphilis can cause severe complications and sequelae. Following a decrease in reported cases in European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and other high-income countries in the 1980s and 1990s as a result of the HIV epidemic and ensuing changes in sexual behaviour, trends started to increase in the 2000s in a number of EU/EEA Member States with higher rates among men and a large proportion of cases reported among men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly HIV-positive MSM. Trends in EU/EEA Member States vary however with some countries continuing to report decreases in the number of reported cases (mostly in the Eastern part of EU/EEA) whereas many Western European countries report increasing numbers of cases. Increasing rates among women, although still relatively low, have been observed in a number of countries leading to concerns around mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and congenital syphilis. Similar overall trends are observed in other high-income countries with the exception of Japan where rates among heterosexual men and women have been rising at alarming levels. Control of syphilis requires use of comprehensive, evidence-based strategies which take into account lessons learned from previous control efforts as well as consideration of biomedical interventions.

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Section: Outbreaksmentioning

confidence: 99%

The resurgence of syphilis in high-income countries in the 2000s: a focus on Europe

et al. 2019

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“…Among MSM population, some risk factors for HAV infection were identified, such as oro-anal sexual practices and digital-rectal intercourse, history of sexual contacts with anonymous sex partners, group sex and sexual promiscuity [3]. As a matter of fact, in this at-risk group, the widespread availability and use of mobile-accessible, especially geosocial networking apps for MSM facilitate anonymous sexual activities being potential drivers of recent outbreaks of HAV [13][14][15][16]. On the other hand, dating apps and websites can be an important and effective tool to promote HAV infection prevention campaigns in outbreaks, with the advantage of a range of hard-to-reach MSM seeking anonymous sex [17].…”

Section: Men Who Have Sex With Menmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hepatitis A: At-Risk Populations

Coelho¹,

Macedo²

2020

Hepatitis a and Other Associated Hepatobiliary Diseases

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Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is transmitted mostly through exposure to contaminated food or water, or through exposure to infected persons. This infection can occur sporadically or in an epidemic form, confers lifelong immunity and it is preventable by a safe and effective vaccine. Therefore, prevention strategies are crucial and could eradicate the infection if they were successfully employed. In this chapter, authors summarize mode of transmission and preventive measures for HAV among the following population groups: travellers, health care workers, men who have sex with men, individuals who use illicit drugs, sewage workers, food handlers, military personnel, prisoners, blood transfusions recipients, haemophiliacs and patients with HIV and chronic liver disease. Moreover, authors describe which of these groups are eligible for HAV vaccination according to available data.

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“…Past research has augmented reported sexual contacts with reports of social contacts from in-person interviews (2), digital social media (7), and venue attendance (8). Partner notification yields incomplete information, especially for men who have sex with men (MSM), and remains challenging (9,10). In 2006, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for "re-evaluating partner notification (PN) methods for syphilis to determine the relative effectiveness of PN strategies and to ensure that enhanced methods are implemented."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Giving syphilis and gonorrhea to friends: Using in-person friendship networks to find additional cases of gonorrhea and syphilis

Rosenbaum

Jennings

Ellen³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Syphilis and gonorrhea reached an all-time high in 2018, including in populations that stigmatize same-sex sexual contact. The resurgence of syphilis and gonorrhea requires innovative methods of sexual contact tracing that encourage disclosure of same-sex contacts. Over 75% of Grindr users report seeking “friendship,” so this study asked people diagnosed with syphilis and gonorrhea to identify their friends.Methods: Patients at the two Baltimore STI clinics and the Baltimore City Health Department were asked 12 questions to elicit members of their friendship networks before eliciting sexual networks. The study included 353 index cases and 172 contacts, yielding a friendship network of 331 non-isolates (n=331) and sexual-only network of 140 non-isolates. The data were plotted and analyzed using exponential family random graph analysis.Results: Eliciting respondents’ in-person social contacts yielded 12 syphilis cases and 6 gonorrhea cases in addition to the 16 syphilis cases and 4 gonorrhea cases that would have been found with sexual contacts alone. Syphilis is clustered within sexual (odds ratio=2.2, 95% confidence interval (1.36, 3.66)) and social contacts (OR=1.31, 95% CI (1.02, 1.68)). Gonorrhea is clustered within reported social (OR=1.56, 95% CI (1.22, 2.00)) but not sexual contacts (OR=0.98, 95% CI (0.62, 1.53)). Conclusions: Eliciting the friendship networks of people diagnosed with syphilis and gonorrhea may find members of their sexual networks, drug use networks, or people of similar STI risk. Friendship networks include more diagnosed cases of syphilis and gonorrhea than sexual networks alone, especially among populations with many non-disclosing MSM and WSW.

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Outbreak of syphilis in men who have sex with men living in rural North Wales (UK) associated with the use of social media

Abstract: The outbreak was successfully controlled. However, it is difficult to determine which of the interventions implemented were most effective. Future outbreaks should be used as an opportunity to evaluate interventions using apps.

Cited by 17 publications

References 10 publications

The resurgence of syphilis in high-income countries in the 2000s: a focus on Europe

The resurgence of syphilis in high-income countries in the 2000s: a focus on Europe

Hepatitis A: At-Risk Populations

Giving syphilis and gonorrhea to friends: Using in-person friendship networks to find additional cases of gonorrhea and syphilis

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