Tag Archives: gay health

Last week the New York state Department of Health expanded earlier warnings about the ongoing meningitis outbreak. The DOH now recommends that all sexually active gay men in the state be vaccinated. Vaccinations were previously only suggested for HIV+ men in some parts of Brooklyn. Meningococcal disease is a severe bacterial infection of the bloodstream. Common symptoms include high fever, …

New York City’s continuing meningitis outbreak, which has now seen seven fatalities, has prompted the Department of Health to suggest vaccinations for all gay and bisexual men who hook up via social media or at bars, etc. Previously vaccinations had been suggested primarily for HIV+ men in some areas of Brooklyn.  Via press release: The Health Department issued new recommendations …

After several new cases of meningitis among gay men, the NYC Department of Health has issued the above notice and this message: The Health Department continues to recommend vaccinations for any New York City man who is HIV-positive and has had intimate contact with another man that he met through a website, digital application, or at a bar or party …

The hook-up site Manhunt today announced that they will begin promoting the usage of Truvada, which was recently approved by the FDA as a daily HIV preventive for high-risk populations. Via press release: Manhunt has partnered with Gladstone Institutes’ Dr. Robert Grant and The Fenway Institute to assure that the information conveyed is accurate and consistent with peer-reviewed published science. …

Yesterday the New York City Department of Health issued a stronger warning about the ongoing rash of meningitis cases among gay men. Their latest recommendation includes a directive that all at-risk gay men in much of Brooklyn, not just the HIV+, should be vaccinated. Via press release: Meningococcal vaccine should be offered to HIV-infected men who are New York City …

Today the New York City Department of Health began offering free meningitis vaccinations to high-risk HIV+ men at nine locations across the five boroughs. The Department is advising vaccinations for any man who is HIV positive and has had intimate contact with another man that he met through a website, digital application (“App”), or at a bar or party since …

Via press release from the NYC Health Department: The Health Department is currently investigating a cluster of invasive meningococcal disease, commonly known as meningitis, among gay men and men who have sex with men. Invasive meningococcal disease is a severe bacterial infection that has a high fatality rate. Within the past four weeks, there have been four cases; one died …

Today Walgreens launches a two year partnership with the CDC during which the pharmacy giant will offer free onsite confidential HIV testing at two dozen (mostly) urban locations. “The goal of having the project at a pharmacy or at a retail clinic is really because of the ease of accessibility and the closeness to people’s homes,” Paul Weidle with the …

Is your physician gay? Does he know you are?

In a small study involving HIV-negative gay men, the HPV vaccine Gardasil was shown to reduce the risk of anal cancer. The vaccine reduced the risk of lesion recurrence by approximately 50% in the first two years after immunisation. There was some evidence that the protective effects of the vaccine waned after this point. “This is the first study to …

According to a British survey, almost half of gay men say they would sacrifice one year of their life in return for having the perfect body. The research also said 10% of gay men would agree to die more than 11 years earlier if they could have their ideal body now. Nine in ten gay men admit they enforce “unrealistic” …

A just-published study indicates that gay men who live in states with legalized same-sex marriage may have fewer health problems. During the 12 months after the 2003 legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, there was a significant decrease in medical care visits, mental health visits and mental health-care costs among gay and bisexual men, compared to the 12 months before …

More information here.

From the city of New York.

A new campaign from the Men’s Sexual Health Project: With the kind support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, M*SHP will be unveiling a program to provide emergency HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in a streamlined and community-appropriate way. PEP has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for high risk sexual exposures since 2006, but very …

Chicago’s Howard Brown Center, which provides health services to the city’s LGBT community, is facing closure over alleged financial mismanagement by the organization’s top officers. The Chicago Tribune reports: Jamal Edwards — who was appointed president and CEO of Howard Brown in June after two top executives were dismissed — said the Lakeview-based center needs to raise $500,000 before the …

According to a study just released by researchers in Boston, gay men are 50% less likely to be obese than straight men. But lesbians are more likely to be overweight than straight women. After scrutinizing a health survey of more than 67,000 Massachusetts residents between the ages of 18 and 64, the researchers found that 14 percent of gay men …

Many HIV+ patients delay beginning anti-retroviral therapy for years after they become aware of their infection, waiting for signs that their immune system has begun to falter before starting treatment. San Francisco’s Department of Health has just endorsed starting HAART treatment immediately upon diagnosis. Behind the policy switch is mounting evidence that patients who start early are more likely to …

The Chicago chapter of SAGE has been awarded $475K for program services by the federal government. The program, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders, or SAGE, is part of the Center on Halsted, a gay and lesbian community center in Lakeview, and was profiled by the Tribune last June. Its director, Serena Worthington, said the $475,000 grant from the U.S. …

The National Institute of Health is inviting public comment on an unprecedented planned study of LGBT health issues. An insider writes us on how to help: The Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), has been asked by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a report on LGBT health. Nothing like this has …