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What is the gonococcus telling us?
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Donovan, Bob |
| Copyright Year | 1998 |
| Abstract | Impact of improved treatment of sexually transmitted diseases on HIV infection in rural Tanzania: randomised controlled trial. Australian gonococcal surveillance programme. Use of a quality assurance scheme in a long-term multicentric study of antibiotic susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Biologically and politically the gonococcus could hardly be more different from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Yet both organisms speak the same language. Each is rare among heterosexual, non-injecting, non-prostitute, non-indigenous Australians who have not had sex overseas (" us "). 1 Instead, they are concentrated among " them " : the faceless, the stigmatized, the under-served, " the other ". 2 Because it killed so obviously, HIV demanded our attention. Considerable resources have been committed to surveillance, clinical and social services, research, and health promotion programs which include removing institutional barriers to HIV control. The HIV-affected communities have been central players and skilled advocates. Australia nets an excellent return on its AIDS-dollar. 3 By contrast, the curable gonococcus was left to its own devices along with the other sexually transmissible infections (STIs). Remarkable declines in the incidence of gonorrhoea and some other STIs in our cities during the 1980s 1 were viewed as unintentional but positive spin-offs of HIV control programs. Unfortunately, many community advocates still choose to ignore the overwhelming evidence that most other STIs directly promote the sexual transmission of HIV. 4 With some justification, the other STIs are seen as trivial distractions from the Main Game, HIV control. " HIV control in a broader sexual health context " 3 has sometimes been positioned as a threat to singularity of purpose and a potential diffusion of precious resources. The opportunity to complement behavioural HIV control strategies with biological interventions (control of other STIs) has been resisted. STI control has only been conceded as relevant for indigenous Australians. Left out in the political cold, the gonococcus has thrived. Elegantly documented in this issue by the Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Program (AGSP), 5 the gonococcus is relentlessly returning to the hyperendemic levels that contributed to the peak incidences of HIV infections among our gay communities in the early 1980s. In Sydney the number of gonococcal isolates examined by the AGSP to the end of July 1998 exceeded the total number for 1996 (Prof J Tapsall, unpublished). At the Sydney Sexual Health Centre 67% of all cases of gonorrhoea since 1995 have been among gay men, a third of whom were HIV positive … |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| PubMed reference number | 9803597 |
| Journal | Medline |
| Volume Number | 22 |
| Issue Number | 10 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-1998-cdi2210-pdf-cnt.htm/$FILE/cdi2210c.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.carers.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-1998-cdi2210-pdf-cnt.htm/$FILE/cdi2210c.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www6.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-1998-cdi2210-pdf-cnt.htm/$FILE/cdi2210c.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.foodsecretariat.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-1998-cdi2210-pdf-cnt.htm/$FILE/cdi2210c.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-1998-cdi2210-pdf-cnt.htm/$FILE/cdi2210c.pdf |
| Journal | Communicable diseases intelligence |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
