Maricopa County health officials are stressing the importance of safe sex in response to a recent increase in the number of syphilis cases among gay men.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacteria, is on the rise in Maricopa County among men who have sex with men.
Freddy Roman, assistant director of Wellness and Health Promotion at ASU, said young people are not engaging in safe sex practices.
"Young people in general are taking risks that will expose them to sexually transmitted infections," Roman said.
In the past three years the number of syphilis cases among gay men in Maricopa County tripled, making 175 cases in 2006, the Arizona Department of Public Health stated.
In 2006, there were 142 syphilis cases among heterosexual people in Maricopa County, the first time since the 1980s that the syphilis cases in the gay male community outnumbered those in heterosexuals, according to the Arizona Department of Public Health.
The increased cases of syphilis in homosexual males could be contributed to the type of sex experienced in that community - anal sex, Roman said.
Anal sex is riskier for sexually transmitted diseases because people are exposed to fluids that may be contaminated, including blood and semen, she said.
Syphilis, like herpes and the human papillomavirus, can also be transmitted through fluids or skin-to-skin contact.
"If herpes and syphilis sores are present, it will be easier to get the HIV virus when engaging in sexual behaviors with someone who is HIV positive," Roman said.
Syphilis symptoms usually appear as painless sores on the infected area. Even if someone is successfully treated for syphilis, they still have a chance of being re-infected again, according to the Department of Public Health.
Still, despite the increase, some students aren't worried.
Florent Bodin, an undeclared senior, said he didn't think syphilis was a big issue right now because he sees it as an ancient disease.
"I didn't think it was that easy to cure," Bodin, a heterosexual, said. "I don't think I'm affected by it at all."
Nathan Arrowsmith, president of Sigma Phi Beta, a fraternity at ASU for gay, straight, bisexual and transgender students, said the fraternity has regular presentations on safe sex practices for all of their members.
"Our main goal is to keep our members well informed [about safe sex practices]," Arrowsmith said.
Sexual health is always something that the fraternity talks about because it is something that could affect members, Arrowsmith said.
In spring 2006 the Sigma Phi Beta fraternity had a daylong retreat about mental health and sexual health, along with other informative topics, Arrowsmith said.
Reach the reporter at: jerri.manley@asu.edu.
