posted October 29, 2004 01:02 AM         

By Paul Simao

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A rare sexually transmitted disease that is spreading among gay and bisexual men in Europe could be poised to surface in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

The CDC, a federal agency that monitors epidemics and other health threats, urged doctors and clinics across the nation to be prepared to diagnose and treat gay and bisexual men infected with Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV).

It issued the advice after receiving reports of recent outbreaks in the Netherlands. The northern European nation has uncovered 92 cases of LGV dating back to 2003. It typically sees fewer than five cases per year.

The infection is caused by specific strains of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, and usually marked by genital ulcers, swollen lymph glands and flu-like symptoms.

However most of the men recently infected in the Netherlands developed gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammation of the rectum and colon and other problems not often associated with the infection or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Belgium, France, Sweden and Britain also have reported infections. It is not known whether America is seeing a similar surge because U.S. doctors are not required to report the infections to local health departments.

"We expect it's a question of time before we see cases appearing here," said Dr. Stuart Berman, chief of the epidemiology and surveillance branch in the CDC's division of STD prevention. "This is an early warning."

Although LGV can be cured by a three-week course of antibiotics, U.S. health officials could be hard pressed to keep a lid on the spread of the infection because it is uncommon in industrialized nations and easily misdiagnosed.

Efforts to combat the disease also are complicated by the tendency of some gay and bisexual men to engage in high-risk sexual behavior.

posted October 29, 2004 10:58 AM         

I don't know.. I find these types of articles a little stereotypical and 'panic-mongering'. They almost breed contempt for the average gay man.... and funny enough, the gay couples I have known are usually more stable than the straight couples, in terms of monogamy and being good partners. I think the orgy-lifestyle is really a small part of the culture, and propagated by popular opinion and articles like this where they make overblown blanket statements that allegate toward being irresponsible... which is prevalent in 'people' no matter what their lifestyle choice. Moderation in everything. I wish more people wouldn't just believe the hype..... the way the article was ended disturbed me....

quote:

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Efforts to combat the disease also are complicated by the tendency of some gay and bisexual men to engage in high-risk sexual behavior.
Dutch authorities found that a large number of the men recently infected with LGV had participated in sex parties and unprotected anal intercourse in the year before getting sick. Many also were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

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posted October 30, 2004 08:50 PM         

I work for a newspaper and I see all the time one-sided info... and in that same line of thinking, a lot of times readers are not made aware that a certain study of something was financed by a group with its own interests at heart, i.e. "apple juice is terrible for you, can cause cancer, mumps, blindness, incontinence, vertigo, the shakes, depression, swollen glands" - funded by the orange juice council of Florida or something.

posted November 05, 2004 05:39 PM         

Although I suppose the writer of the article doesnt have to mention the fact that so far its only been found in homosexual and bisexual men. They could just say " A new STD is surfacing."