from: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0419party19.html

Gay event raises fear of syphilis spread
Palm Springs party draws thousands

Charles Ornstein and Louis Sahagun
Los Angeles Times
Apr. 19, 2003 12:00 AM

With 30,000 gay revelers expected for this weekend's "White Party" in Palm Springs, Calif., a festival famous for sex and substance abuse, public health officials and some gay leaders worry that it will fan an epidemic of syphilis.

"We're nervous that they're going to take it there, and we're nervous that they're going to bring it home," said Dr. Peter Kerndt, director of venereal disease control in Los Angeles County.

The officials have reason to be nervous. For the past two years, cases of the sexually transmitted disease have risen dramatically in the Palm Springs area and throughout California, driven almost exclusively by gay and bisexual men.

Outbreaks have sometimes been fueled by large gatherings, beginning with millennium celebrations in Los Angeles in 2000.

Cases doubling

Statewide, the number of new infectious syphilis cases nearly doubled last year, to 1,035. Los Angeles County reported 362 cases, up from 199 a year earlier. San Francisco logged 316 cases, more than two times the 2001 tally, according to preliminary estimates. But Palm Springs, which is far smaller than either metropolitan area, has in one year developed one of the highest per capita rates of syphilis in the nation.

Riverside County in 2002 reported 54 new infectious syphilis cases, 48 of them in the eastern part of the county that includes Palm Springs. All of Riverside County reported only 17 cases of infectious syphilis a year earlier, said Barbara Cole, the county's director of disease control.

The California Department of Health Services issued an alert in January warning health authorities nationwide of the Palm Springs problem and asking them to report syphilis cases among people who recently traveled to the area. In part, the upsurge can be traced to the area's growing popularity among gay men for retirement and recreation.

"The disease is spreading dramatically here," said Robert Farrell, director of medical services at the Desert AIDS Project.

The key significance

Syphilis, though easily treatable with antibiotics, can lead to blindness, neurological problems and even death, if left untreated. But the disease is most worrisome, in the near term, because it signifies a breakdown in safe-sex practices that can lead to other sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.

Many men with syphilis already are infected with HIV. In both San Francisco and Los Angeles County, at least half of those testing positive for syphilis are HIV positive. Also, sores caused by syphilis facilitate transmission of the AIDS virus.

Public health officials hope that by promoting syphilis prevention and testing at the party, they will reach men at risk for HIV or those who have the virus but don't know it.

Volunteers are distributing laminated wallet-size cards warning, "Check him out! Syphilis is spreading rapidly among gay men in the Coachella Valley. The increase in cases is dramatic and is impacting the health of individuals who are infected."

The reverse side of the cards includes information about symptoms, prevention and treatment. Also, hotels and bars are being asked to distribute condoms and lubricant, which helps prevent condoms from breaking, Cole said.

White Party founder Jeffrey Sanker, said he is working with local health officials and volunteers to promote safer sex.

The top priority

"The safety and comfort of my patrons is my Number 1 priority," Sanker said. "The continued risk of HIV infection, as well as the recent outbreak of syphilis cases in the Palm Springs area are both issues we certainly cannot ignore."

The event takes its name from the color white, which organizers said symbolizes the renewal of the spring season. Partygoers are charged $250 for access to all weekend parties or $400 for a pass that admits them to VIP lounges.

Officials in Los Angeles County and San Francisco are sending health workers to the party to help with education and testing, although they acknowledged feeling somewhat helpless to control syphilis in their own communities.

Kerndt and Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, his counterpart in San Francisco, have launched many awareness campaigns in the past two years, but they said the obstacles have been huge.

"We're talking about sex addiction, drug addiction, loneliness, isolation, low self-esteem and disease, lots of it," Kerndt said.

"We know information is not enough to change behavior. . . . There is this hard-core group: They want sex, and they want it without a condom."