InterACTion:

 Sex. Drugs.
Love, lust and everything in between.
HIV and STIs.
Bars, baths and beyond.
Tell us what you think as we discuss a wide range of issues relevant to the health of gay men.
Don’t just sit there – InterACT!

Ooooh… Scary stuff! Well, actually it is – when you consider we’ve seen a dramatic increase in infectious syphilis over the past seven years in Toronto. But what makes it scary? I mean, syphilis has been treatable for nearly a century, so why should we even care? Do you care? Are you concerned about the curse?

Well, having an active sexually transmitted infection can increase your risk of contracting HIV by up to nine times. Did you know that if you are already HIV+, syphilis can not only increase the possibility of transmitting HIV to an uninfected partner, but if left untreated, it can progress to advanced (tertiary) syphilis in as little as 12 months? Now that is some scary shit.

Add to the mix that many people either don’t recognize the primary symptoms of syphilis, or have no symptoms at all.

So how do you avoid it? Well, the risk can be reduced by using a condom for anal and oral sex. I know, I know… Broken record… Use a condom, same old story. But it is still the most effective way we know to reduce risk. There are other ways, too. But you are a mature and sophisticated blog reader. You tell us: how have you avoided syphilis in the past? If you did get syphilis, how did you know/find out? What did you do? Where did you go for help?

- Harry