Washington Blade - Friday, October 31, 2003

CHICAGO - Workers with the Chicago Department of Public Health ended an emergency meningitis vaccination program Sunday after giving more than 14,000 vaccinations in a week, the Chicago Tribune reported. Officials said they hope they have curbed the bacterial meningitis outbreak that killed three gay men and infected three others, according to the Tribune. "We are pleased with the way this has gone," Dr. William Paul, deputy public health commissioner, told the newspaper. "We've worked very hard, and we think we've done really what we can to help." On Oct. 19, the department began giving free vaccinations after an outbreak of meningococcal disease cases on Chicago's North Side, the Tribune reported. The disease is not tied to sexual orientation, but the group at risk in this incident were those who had social contact with gay or bisexual men in that neighborhood early in October, according to health leaders. No new cases have been reported since Oct. 18, the Tribune reported.

San Francisco officials set aside funds to fight meth addiction in gays

SAN FRANCISCO - Public health officials announced they will allocate $425,000 to fight crystal methamphetamine addiction among gays, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who led public hearings this spring about an increase of speed use among those who frequent gay clubs and Internet chat rooms, told the Chronicle he hopes the money will help reduce waiting lists at community substance-abuse programs. Speed use leads to gay men engaging in risky sexual behavior and contributes to a rise in HIV infections, according to health leaders. A large portion of the funds, $250,000, will go to programs serving younger gay, bisexual and transgendered men and women, the Chronicle reported. "This is an important first step," said Steven Tierney, director of HIV prevention for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Canadian AIDS doctor agrees to quit practice after sex allegations

VANCOUVER - Michael Phillip Maynard, who is well known as a doctor for gays and who helped found one of the first AIDS support organizations in Canada, has agreed to discontinue practicing medicine and thereby avoided a disciplinary hearing, the Globe & Mail reported. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia planned an inquiry regarding Maynard after allegations from patients that he had sex with them in his medical office, the newspaper reported. But the Registrar of the College, Morris VanAndel, said last week that the hearing is canceled. "Dr. Maynard voluntarily ceased practicing medicine in September 2001, due to significant health problems," VanAndel said in announcing that the disciplinary hearing was being abandoned, the Mail reported. Maynard denied the allegations that were pending against him. In 2001, the college suspended and fined him after finding him guilty of infamous conduct for having a sexual relationship with a patient, the Mail reported.

Study says some men are hard-wired for unsafe sex

WASHINGTON - The Kinsey Institute released a study of gay and straight men on Monday that claims some get excited by the risk of having unsafe sex, USA Today reported. Of the 1,500 men in the survey, 10 percent were considered to be the most likely to engage in sex that could threaten their lives. John Bancroft, Kinsey Institute director, said more than a third (589) of the men in the survey are gay. The survey on gay men is scheduled to be published in December's Archives of Sexual Behavior. The survey of straight men is scheduled to be published in January. "For most of us, the way our bodies are set up probably makes it easier to do the right thing," Bancroft said. When depressed or stressed, 40 to 45 percent have less appetite for sex. But some felt more aroused when they were upset. In Bancroft's study, these men did more "cruising" for casual sex partners, many of whom they didn't know well. Sex that could lead to a disease or unwanted pregnancy causes many men to lose erections. Fear seems to turn them off, Bancroft says. The men who didn't have problems under these risky conditions also were more likely to practice unsafe sex, such as anal intercourse or not using condoms. "They get excited despite the threat," he said. Indeed, the threat might be a turn-on. In the study, men who scored high in "sensation-seeking" - thriving on adventure - were most into risky sex..

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