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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 2004)
december 17 . 2004 Ju s t o u t 25 Gay Sr Lesbian Couples Welcome St. Stephen’s Episcopal TH E DOW NTOW N Silence served to stigmatize a disease and those it infected. T he tragedy is more than'm ost can comprehend. Revisionist history about Reagan must he rejected. Researchers, historians and AIDS experts who know the truth must never remain silent. Too many have died for that. Revised from an article that first appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle. A llen W hite is a San Francisco writer. The Year in Lireabe: Rates oi‘ STDs A re on the Rise by J o d i K elin er • Margaret Lentell urges men having sex with men to he screened for sexually transmitted diseases— even if they have no symptoms. “Many STDs including syphilis, chlamydia, HIV, herpes and genital warts are often asymp tomatic,” says Lentell, health services adminis trator for the M ultnomah County Health Department’s STD Prevention and Treatment Program. “T he longer you have a disease w ith out knowing it, the more opportunity you have to spread it.” According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia arc on the rise: Health officials witnessed a drop in gonorrhea cases from 1,145 in 2001 to 981 in 2003, hut that number is expected to top 1,200 in 2004. IXiring the past three years, the number of syphilis infections has risen steadily from 22 cases in 2001 to 47 cases in 2002 to 74 cases in 2003— the highest number of reported cases in Oregon in more than a decade. The rising rates are cause for concern among health officials who fear that more cases of STDs will lead to a far more pressing prob lem: “O ur concern with the rise in [STDs] is that it is going to lead to another wave of HIV infections,” says Doug Harger, STD program lead for the Oregon IX’partment of Hu nan Services. "We know that if we can prevent the spread of non-HIV STDs, we can reduce the transmission of HIV.” Harger and Lentell’s agencies are working collahoratively with health and outreach organizations like Cascade AIDS Project and Q -LA N D to encourage queer men to practice 1 safer sex and get regular screenings for STDs. “There is a basic formula for stopping the spread of infection,” says Lentell. “Have less sex, decrease the number of sexual partners, use condoms, and get regular STD screenings for early diagnosis and treatm ent.” Despite hard work to spread this message, STDs remain the most frequently reported communicable diseases in Oregon. Don Valerio, an internist with Fanno Creek Clinic, says he has treated more cases of STDs this year than in any other. “Most of our patients are not surprised to find out they’re infected,” he says. “Either they have symptoms or their partner has symptoms or they have been having sex without protection." Health officials believe an increase in risk taking behaviors is a major reason STDs are on the rise: Nationwide studies report that con dom use has declined from 63 percent to 23 percent during the past five years, and a 2003 study conducted by the Oregon Department of Human Services found that more than 45 per cent of queer men admitted to having un protected anal intercourse during their last s exual encounter. Unsafe sex is not the only behavior that is worrisome: T he rise in anonymous sex is a major cause for concern among health care providers. “T he only way to stop the spread of disease is to diagnose and treat those who are infected," says Lentell. “But if someone Ls diagnosed with an STD and has no idea who their past partners are, we cannot contact them for testing and treatment, which makes it almost impossible to keep the outbreak under control.” Harger believes the key to reducing the number of STD cases in Oregon involves three key steps: educating the community about the risks of contracting and spreading STIX; reviewing the issues with health care providers to ensure proper screening and treatment; and stepping up testing efforts. “We are finding that a lot of people are not being screened because they want alternatives to going to a hospital or a medical clinic,” he says. “As a result, testing stations have been set up in alternative locations like Pride events, bathhouses and adult bookstores.” C ontinuing to reinforce the message that STDs have seruxis consequences is also impor tant. “Any STD breaks down membranes and makes it easier to contract HIV," says Valerio. I PARISH# Christmas Eve Services; Children’s at 4 pm Service begins at 10:30 pm Christmas Day Service: 9:30 am Rev. Lawrence Falkowski, Ph.D. rector 1432 SW 13th Avenue • Portland, Oregon 97201 (503) 223-6424 Home Theatre • Home Audio • Sound Advice NADL 7 3 , 999 00 2627 N E B R O A D W A Y 503-280-0910 WWW.STEREOTYPESAUDIO.COM Corner of Sandy Blvd. & NE 64th 3106 NE 64th Portland, OR 97213 503-280-8080 t't 4 Qifts for Romance in an Utyant Setting Learn to D a n ce Cha Cha I $ 1 1 J i 4 ¿ Rumba 2* Swing W a ltz F o x tro t 50 3-2 3 6-5 1 29 www.outdancing.info LINNTON FEED & SEED. NOT THE MALL. J M M b id vo Country w ... ^ s 5 > j» * * r * ] > r V We carry multi-pure water system s 10920 NW St. Helens Rd Portland, OR 97231 Phone: 503.286.1291 Holiday shopping got you down? Send a Just O ut g ift subscription... Continued on Page 26 it couldn't be easier. V isit us at www. justout.com GET INVOLVED! N o w is the t ime to come t o g e t h e r and do s o m e t h i n g ! Sign up for this 6-week H I V prevention discussion group where men who love men can come together to talk about what is important to them! O p e n to gay, bi, trans, queer (o r differently identified men who have sex w ith men) that live in Clackamas C ounty! G ro up starts in February 2 0 0 5 . G ro u p starts in February 2 0 0 5 . Call ( 5 0 3 ) 7 4 2 - 5 3 8 2 common sense: the rapist blaming his crime on the immodest dress of his victim; a defense lawyer assigning his client's murder spree c*> Clackamas County Public Health for wore information on location and incentives for participating!
