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PubMed2000

Marked declines in human immunodeficiency virus-related mortality in Chicago in women, African Americans, Hispanics, young adults, and injection drug users, from 1995 through 1997.

BACKGROUND: Declines in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related mortality between 1995 and 1996 were seen across the United States but were small to nonexistent among people in marginalized sectors who are most likely to contract HIV and die of its effects. No comprehensive analysis describing HIV-related mortality in 1997 was available. OBJECTIVE: To describe Chicago's HIV-related mortality trends up to and including 1997, with specific attention focused on marginalized populations. METHODS: An analysis of cross-sectional HIV-related mortality data with emphasis on the years 1995 through 1997 was conducted for Chicago, Ill. Numbers, proportions, and rates of declines in HIV-related deaths were examined for the city as a whole and also among those diagnosed at Cook County Hospital, as a proxy for people with very low socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Between 1995 and 1996 there was an overall decline of 19% in HIV-related mortality in Chicago but small or no declines among women, African Americans, Hispanics, injection drug users, and people aged 20 to 29 years and more than 50 years. Between 1995 and 1997 there was an overall decline of 61%. At that time the declines were spread more evenly across diverse groups. There were almost no significant differences between the declines for these groups at Cook County Hospital and in the rest of Chicago. CONCLUSIONS: The HIV-related mortality has fallen dramatically in Chicago since 1995, the year of its maximum. During 1997, declines were seen among all groups. Declines were also seen among the most disenfranchised of the city. Access to care and the new combination therapies are apparently sustaining life for many in Chicago.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Temporal trends of polychlorinated biphenyls in precipitation and air at chicago.

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations in precipitation (1997-2003) and in the atmospheric gas phase (1996-2003) collected in Chicago, IL, are reported. These data were obtained as part of the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network. For comparison, PCB concentrations at a remote site, Sleeping Bear Dunes on the northeastern shore of Lake Michigan, are also reported. Much higher PCB concentrations in both precipitation (7.1 +/- 0.9 ng/L) and the gas phase (1.4 +/- 0.1 ng/m3) at Chicago compared to Sleeping Bear Dunes (1.1 +/- 0.1 ng/L and 0.1 +/- 0.08 ng/m3, respectively) indicate that Chicago is a source of PCBs to the Great Lakes. A long-term decreasing trend of PCB concentrations in precipitation was observed at Chicago with a half-life of 6.8 +/- 3.1 years. The corresponding half-life for PCB concentrations in the gas phase was 7.7 +/- 1.1 years. The significant long-term decrease of PCB concentrations in precipitation and the gas phase in Chicago suggests that regulatory efforts are working, at least in this city.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Collaborative research and action to control the geographic placement of outdoor advertising of alcohol and tobacco products in Chicago.

Community activists in Chicago believed their neighborhoods were being targeted by alcohol and tobacco outdoor advertisers, despite the Outdoor Advertising Association of America's voluntary code of principles, which claims to restrict the placement of ads for age-restricted products and prevent billboard saturation of urban neighborhoods. A research and action plan resulted from a 10-year collaborative partnership among Loyola University Chicago, the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago (ALAMC), and community activists from a predominately African American church, St. Sabina Parish. In 1997 Loyola University and ALAMC researchers conducted a cross-sectional prevalence survey of alcohol and tobacco outdoor advertising. Computer mapping was used to locate all 4,247 licensed billboards in Chicago that were within 500- and 1,000-foot radiuses of schools, parks, and playlots. A 50% sample of billboards was visually surveyed and coded for advertising content. The percentage of alcohol and tobacco billboards within the 500- and 1,000-foot zones ranged from 0% to 54%. African American and Hispanic neighborhoods were disproportionately targeted for outdoor advertising of alcohol and tobacco. Data were used to convince the Chicago City Council to pass one of the nation's toughest anti-alcohol and tobacco billboard ordinances, based on zoning rather than advertising content. The ordinance was challenged in court by advertisers. Recent Supreme Court rulings made enactment of local billboard ordinances problematic. Nevertheless, the research, which resulted in specific legislative action, demonstrated the importance of linkages among academic, practice, and grassroots community groups in working together to diminish one of the social causes of health disparities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Chicago Asthma Consortium.

The Chicago Asthma Consortium is a group that oversees and attempts to improve the outcomes for the asthmatic population of the city of Chicago and is designed to respond to the perceived needs of this community. It has more than 300 members who operate through six standing committees and in its first year of operation, the Chicago Asthma Consortium has seen notable successes, such as the effecting of a change in a restrictive policy on medication use by students in the Chicago public schools. We describe here the details of the function of the Chicago Asthma Consortium and give examples of its effectiveness in dealing with this common, yet complex, disease.

Asthma↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence of overweight and risk of overweight among 3- to 5-year-old Chicago children, 2002-2003.

This article reports the first estimates of overweight prevalence in Chicago children entering school (aged 3-5 years). Chicago data are compared with those from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). Data were from 2 separate convenience samples of children aged 3-5 years attending either 18 Chicago Public Schools or 10 Chicago Catholic School pre-K programs (n = 1517). Data were taken from students' Certificate of Child Health Examination (CCHE), completed by a health professional. Overall, the prevalence of overweight subjects (body mass index >or=95th percentile) was 24%, more than twice that of the national prevalence of 10% for 2- to 5-year olds documented by NHANES (1999-2002) and 3 times that of the 1998-1999 ECLS prevalence estimate of 8% for 5- to 7-year olds in the Midwest region. The data reported here document that nearly one quarter of children entering school in Chicago are already overweight. This clearly establishes a need for local schools to develop protocols and procedures to support the physical and mental health needs of affected and at-risk children. The findings also make it plain that ongoing weight status monitoring is needed and that current plans to implement this should go forward.

Chicago↗
PubMed2000

Cost-effectiveness of universal compared with voluntary screening for human immunodeficiency virus among pregnant women in Chicago.

OBJECTIVES: To determine and compare the cost-effectiveness of implementing 3 screening strategies to detect human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among pregnant women in Chicago, Illinois: no screening, voluntary screening, and universal screening. METHODS: A decision-analysis model was developed, using standard cost-effectiveness analysis from a societal perspective. Reference case estimates were derived from a surveillance project conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health and studies were published in the medical literature. Costs included direct and indirect medical costs associated with identification of pregnant women infected with HIV and identification, prevention, and treatment of perinatally HIV-infected newborns. Specifically, for each screening option, the cost per pregnant woman screened, the resulting number of pediatric HIV infections, and the number of newborn life-years were calculated. All costs were adjusted to the 1997 dollar value and discounted at 3%. Sensitivity analyses were determined for all variables included in the decision model. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of HIV infection among pregnant women in Chicago is .41%. For every 100,000 pregnant women, it is estimated that 104.6 children would be infected with HIV if no screening strategy were implemented and 44.8 children would be infected if voluntary HIV testing (assuming a 92.7% acceptance rate) were available. In comparison, if universal HIV testing was performed, the number of children infected with HIV would decrease to 40 cases. Sensitivity analysis across a maternal HIV prevalence rate of.01% to 2.2% found that universal screening would be cost-saving in communities where the seroprevalence is.21%. In Chicago, it would take an estimated 5. 2 months of screening pregnant women to avert 1 case of pediatric HIV. Taking into consideration the lifetime costs of treating a child with HIV infection, universal HIV testing of 100,000 pregnant women would result in a cost-savings of $3.69 million when compared with no screening, and $269,445 when compared with voluntary screening. We estimated that it would cost $11.1 million to screen 100,000 pregnant women in Chicago. The cost-savings produced with increased screening are the direct result of reduced cases of newborns infected with HIV. A 2-way sensitivity analysis was performed to examine how costs vary as a function of the voluntary rates for HIV-positive and HIV-negative women. When screening falls below 50% for HIV-positive mothers, universal screening becomes cheaper than voluntary screening even if no HIV-negative mothers were screened. CONCLUSION: Reference case analyses showed that universal HIV screening of pregnant women in Chicago would both decrease the number of HIV-infected newborns and save money in comparison to voluntary or no testing strategies. Sensitivity analysis was robust across all variables for the conclusion that universal screening was more effective than voluntary screening. For many communities that have HIV prevalence rates for mothers of >.21%, universal screening would also save money in comparison to voluntary screening. For communities with prevalence rates <.21%, the benefits of universal screening may outweigh the costs for screening as we found that desirable incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were found for prevalence rates as low as.0075%.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of health status indicators in chicago: are Black-White disparities worsening?

OBJECTIVES: This study examined Chicago residents' progress toward the Healthy People 2000 goal of reducing racial disparities in health and compared the results with a recent analysis of US data. METHODS: Non-Hispanic Black-to-non-Hispanic White rate ratios were computed for 14 health status indicators for 1990 and for 1998. RESULTS: Nationally and in Chicago, indicators for both Blacks and Whites improved between 1990 and 1998; however, Whites consistently fared better. Nationally, gaps narrowed on 10 indicators; for Chicago, they widened on 10 indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Nationally, there is apparent progress in reducing Black-White disparities; this is not true for Chicago. Whether failure to reduce racial disparities is unique to Chicago or is common to other urban centers remains an open question with important implications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Long-term trends in blood lead levels among children in Chicago: relationship to air lead levels.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate trends in blood lead levels among children in Chicago from 1968 through 1988, and to determine the impact of the changes in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) blood lead level of concern. METHODS: We reviewed a systematic sample of blood lead screening records of the Chicago Department of Health Laboratory for high-risk children aged 6 months to 5 years. Median blood lead levels for each quarter of the years 1974 through 1988 were determined and regressed against mean air lead levels recorded at air-monitoring stations in Chicago during the same period. RESULTS: Median blood lead levels declined from 30 micrograms/dL in 1968 to 12 micrograms/dL in 1988, and were strongly associated with declining average air lead levels (r = .8, P < .001) from 1974 through 1988. A regression model using log-transformed data predicted a decline of 0.56 microgram/dL in the median blood lead level with each 0.1 microgram/m3 decline in the mean air lead level when the air lead level was near 1.0 microgram/m3; the predicted slope was steeper at lower air lead levels. Despite the nearly 20-fold reduction in air lead levels, the median blood lead level of 12 micrograms/dL in 1988 indicates substantial continuing lead exposure. The CDC blood lead level of concern was lowered twice from 1968 to 1988, but due to the decline in blood lead levels, fewer than 30% of the children were above the level of concern throughout most of the study. CONCLUSION: Although substantial lead exposure persists in Chicago, reductions in airborne lead emissions seem to have contributed to a long-term decline in the median blood lead level of high-risk Chicago children.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1998

What do parents know about lead poisoning? The Chicago Lead Knowledge Test. Pediatric Practice Research Group.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the extent of parental knowledge about lead poisoning and its prevention and to determine characteristics associated with accurate lead knowledge. SETTING: Twenty-three pediatric practices and 1 family practice in Chicago, Ill, and its suburbs. METHODS: A 24-question test regarding lead poisoning and its prevention (Chicago Lead Knowledge Test) was developed based on lead specialists' review and parental test-retest reliability. One point was assigned for each correct response. It was self-administered by a sample of 2225 parents of 0- to 6-year-old children visiting study practices. A 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the association of demographic descriptors with test scores. RESULTS: Respondents had a mean age of 33 years. Ninety percent were mothers, 49% were college graduates, and 80% were home owners. Fifteen percent lived in homes built before 1950, of which 36% were remodeled or renovated during the last 6 months. Respondents' youngest children were 80% white, 10% Hispanic, 5% African American, and 5% other. Ten percent received Medicaid and 86% had other medical insurance. Thirty-four percent recalled receipt of lead information from a health care provider, and 2.4% had had a child with a blood lead level of 0.48 micromol/L (10 microg/dL) or higher. The mean Chicago Lead Knowledge Test score was 12.2 (SD, 3.7). Questions related to lead exposure were more often answered correctly than those related to prevention and diet. In the ANOVA model, those who recalled receipt of lead information from a health care provider, college graduates, respondents aged 30 years or older, Hispanic respondents, and those living in homes built before 1950 had higher scores (all ANOVA P< or =.001). CONCLUSIONS: Parents do not have much knowledge of ways to prevent childhood lead poisoning. Information from a health care provider can aid parental knowledge. The Chicago Lead Knowledge Test is a new self-administered tool to help evaluate lead education programs.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Indirect carbon reduction by residential vegetation and planting strategies in Chicago, USA.

Concern about climate change has evoked interest in the potential for urban vegetation to help reduce the levels of atmospheric carbon. This study applied computer simulations to try to quantify the modifying effects of existing vegetation on the indirect reduction of atmospheric carbon for two residential neighborhoods in north-west Chicago. The effects of shading, evapotranspiration, and windspeed reduction were considered and were found to have decreased carbon emissions by 3.2 to 3.9% per year for building types in study block 1 where tree cover was 33%, and -0.2 to 3.8% in block 2 where tree cover was 11%. This resulted in a total annual reduction of carbon emission averaging 158.7 (+/- 12.8) kg per residence in block 1 and 18.1 (+/- 5.4) kg per residence in block 2. Windspeed reduction greatly contributed to the decrease of carbon emission. However, shading increased annual carbon emission from the combined change in heating and cooling energy use due to many trees in the wrong locations, which increase heating energy use during the winter. The increase of carbon emission from shading is somewhat specific to Chicago, due in part to the large amount of clean, nuclear-generated cooling energy and the long heating season. In Chicago, heating energy is required for about eight months from October to May and cooling energy is used for the remaining 4 months from June to September. If fossil fuels had been the primary source for cooling energy and the heating season had been shorter, the shading effects on the reduction of carbon emission would be greater. Planting of large trees close to the west wall of buildings, dense planting on the north, and avoidance of planting on the south are recommended to maximize indirect carbon reduction by residential vegetation, in Chicago and other mid and high-latitude cities with long heating seasons.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2001

John Dewey and early Chicago functionalism.

John Dewey and James Angell are regarded respectively as the founder and systematizer of the Chicago school of functional psychology. The early Chicago school traditionally has been portrayed as a unified theoretical approach based primarily on William James's naturalist theory of mental processes. It is argued in this article that although the psychology systematized by Angell bore a close affinity to James's naturalism, Dewey's own psychology was based primarily on the neo-Hegelian philosophy of Thomas Hill Green. Through a review of a number of Dewey's major writings, Green's neo-Hegelian philosophy is shown to have influenced Dewey's views on psychological concepts such as reaction, emotion, and perception during the formative period of the Chicago school. The interpretation of Dewey's psychology developed in this article leads to the conclusion that early Chicago functionalism should not be regarded as a unified theoretical approach.

Chicago↗
PubMed1997

Epidemiology of pediatric tuberculosis in Chicago, 1974 to 1994: a continuing public health problem.

Despite downward trends in the overall rate of tuberculosis in the United States for 1993 to 1994, the rate among children (0 to 14 years) has increased. To evaluate the trend in pediatric tuberculosis in Chicago and better direct public health efforts to control tuberculosis, we analyzed summary data for 1974 to 1981 and detailed data for 1982 to 1994 from surveillance case reports. These data were compared to the 1980 and 1990 census data for the 77 community areas in Chicago. Of the 18,700 cases of tuberculosis reported in Chicago for the study period, 702 (3.8%) occurred in children. Children accounted for a significantly increasing proportion of reported cases, 204/7093 (2.9%) in 1974 to 1981 versus 498/11,607 (4.3%) in 1982 to 1994, a trend which began in 1982. The number of cases among immigrants remained low throughout the study. Sites of infection were as follows: 73% pulmonary parenchymal disease, 9% hilar adenopathy, 9% extrathoracic lymph adenopathy, 3% meningitis, 3% miliary, and 3% other. From 1982 to 1994, 13 communities had a total of 224 cases (45%); average rates were > 10/100,000 in the population under 15 years old, and 7 of these communities had 127 cases (25%); average rates were > 15/100,000. Of the 77 community areas, 16 (21%) had no pediatric tuberculosis. Comparison of case rates with socioeconomic and health indicators showed the highest rates in communities with multiple indicators of poverty, including overcrowded housing units, low median income, and high infant mortality rates. Pediatric tuberculosis in Chicago remains a significant public health problem. Efforts to address this problem should provide resources to the community areas with the highest incidence rates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Epidemiology of AIDS among Hispanics in Chicago.

The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of AIDS among Hispanics in Chicago. These data are needed to tailor prevention and treatment programs across diverse Hispanic ethnic subgroups. To pursue Hispanic origin for the 1,289 Hispanic persons diagnosed with AIDS in Chicago, death certificates for those cases contained in Chicago's AIDS Reporting System (ARS) file that were decreased were examined for information on national origin; the AIDS case reporting form was modified in January 1994 to collect data on Hispanic ethnic origin; care providers were contacted for further information; and medical records were investigated to determine Hispanic ethnic origin. Ethnic origins obtained from all sources are according to patient self-report. All reference to Hispanic ethnic subgroups in this study include U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics. Ethnic subgroup was identified for 989 Hispanic persons (77% of the 1,289 Hispanic cases) in the ARS. Data collected indicate that for all races and across Hispanic ethnic subgroups, Puerto Ricans have had the highest annual AIDS case rate since 1987. The mode of transmission for Puerto Rican males is predominantly through injection drug use (IDU), whereas for Mexican males the predominant mode of transmission is through males having sex with other males (MSM). For all Hispanic females, heterosexual contact was the predominant mode of transmission, with the largest proportion being sex partners of IDUs. The descriptive epidemiology of AIDS across Hispanic ethnic subgroups in Chicago highlights the need to target specific interventions among Puerto Ricans. In particular, culturally sensitive interventions tailored for Puerto Rican IDUs and their sex partners are needed, as are interventions for all Hispanic females who are at increased risk for heterosexual transmission.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Newly diagnosed tuberculosis in inner-city Chicago: the pulmonary fellow perspective.

BACKGROUND: The extent to which pulmonary fellows encounter patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis during their 3-year training program in large metropolitan areas in the USA where active tuberculosis is still relatively common is uncertain. OBJECTIVES: To characterize clinical encounters of pulmonary fellows with patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis at a large university-based training program in inner-city Chicago over a 3-year period. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records of patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago outpatient clinics (UMC) and the City of Chicago Department of Public Health Uptown Neighborhood Health Center Tuberculosis Clinic (CDPH) between 1999 and 2001 was conducted. A pulmonary fellow encounter rate (PFER) was derived as the average number of patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis seen by a pulmonary fellow per month over the 3-year study period in each institution. RESULTS: We found that 9 pulmonary fellows diagnosed, treated and followed all 80 patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis seen at CDPH over the 3-year study period. By contrast, they evaluated only 14 patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis and followed 2 of them regularly at UMC (p < 0.05). PFER was 2.96 at CDPH and 0.52 at UMC (p < 0.05). Adverse events ascribed to anti-tuberculosis drugs were observed more frequently in patients seen by pulmonary fellows at CDPH than at UMC (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary fellows are more likely to encounter patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis at a designated tuberculosis clinic than at a university hospital in inner-city Chicago during their 3-year training.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Land of California?: The ambiguities of sweet home Chicago.

This essay examines some historical questions and cultural constructions surrounding the song Sweet Home Chicago and its composer Robert Johnson. Noting that while the song has enjoyed long life, Johnson's lyric (describing Chicago as a land of California) has not, the essay critiques primitivist readings of Johnson while posing an African American cultural myth-Chicago as promised land of the Great Migration-as the subtext of his puzzling line. Finally, it considers whether mundane-sounding revisions of Johnson's lyric indicate a reduction in Chicago's mythic status, from safe haven to same old place.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1999

A survey of asthma care in managed care organizations: results from the Chicago Asthma Surveillance Initiative.

INTRODUCTION: Managed care, both via staff model health maintenance plans and nonstaff model plans, has become a major source of health-care funding in the United States. However, very little is known about the asthma-specific products and services offered by these plans. The purpose of this study is to examine the asthma-specific products and services offered by managed care within the Chicago area. METHODS: Between December 1997 and February 1998, a self-administered survey was mailed to the medical directors of the 19 managed care organizations (MCOs) in the Chicago area. The survey covered the following content areas: general characteristics of the MCOs, asthma-related services, monitoring of asthma care, and asthma-related quality improvement efforts. The medical directors were asked to respond separately for staff model capitated plans, nonstaff model capitated plans, and noncapitated plans. RESULTS: Responses were received from 13 of the 19 eligible Chicago-area MCOs (a response rate of 68.4%). Three of the responding MCOs (23.1%) offered a staff model plan, 11 (84.6%) offered a nonstaff model capitated plan, and 6 offered some type of noncapitated plan. Asthma education programs, although available in all plan types, were offered much less frequently in the nonstaff model capitated and noncapitated plans, 36.4% and 33.3%, respectively. Asthma case management programs were also available in some, but not all of the health plans. Only 54.5% of the nonstaff model capitated health plans promoted the use of asthma practice guidelines. Among the responding MCOs, asthma quality improvement efforts related to National Committee on Quality Assurance accreditation were infrequent in 1995. Sixty-one percent of the MCOs reported that program development for improving asthma care was a very high priority relative to programs for other health conditions. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that many, but not all, of the basic elements of asthma care services are offered by the MCOs in the Chicago area. Findings from this study also suggest ways in which asthma-related product and service delivery might be changed to improve outcomes for asthma in this community.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Characteristics of hospitalization for asthma among persons less than 35 years of age in Chicago.

Mortality from asthma in Chicago is among the highest in the nation for 5-34-year-olds. Data for all hospitalizations among Chicago residents less than 35 years of age were examined to define characteristics that may be contributing to morbidity and mortality from asthma. From 1987 through 1989, the average annual age-adjusted hospitalization rate among persons less than 35 years of age in Chicago was 3.57 per 1000 persons. There were significant associations of community hospitalization rate with median income (r = -0.61, p < 0.001) and with proportion of community asthma hospitalizations using Medicaid, Medicare, or self-payment (r = 0.69, p < 0.001). Among 18-34-year-old men, asthma hospitalization rates for Medicaid recipients were 17.4-34.1-fold higher than among men using other forms of insurance. Asthma admissions using Medicaid, Medicare, or self-payment were more likely than those using other forms of insurance to present through the emergency department (79.3% and 66.4%, respectively, p < 0.001) and be discharged against medical advice (1.8% vs. 0.7%, respectively, p < 0.001). These data suggest that differential access to or utilization of health care may be contributing to asthma morbidity in Chicago.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Transmission of primary and secondary syphilis by oral sex--Chicago, Illinois, 1998-2002.

During 1998-2002, the STD/HIV Prevention and Care Program of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) recorded 1,582 cases of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis, the most of any U.S. city. Although case numbers and overall rates remained stable in Chicago during this period, patterns of transmission changed substantially. Throughout most of the 1990s, P&S syphilis was reported almost exclusively among heterosexuals. During 1998-2000, however, men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for approximately 15% of Chicago's P&S syphilis morbidity. Since 2001, MSM have accounted for nearly 60% of patients with P&S syphilis. During 2000-2002, CDPH conducted interviews with persons with syphilis; some MSM reported they had engaged in only oral sex and were surprised to have acquired syphilis. In response, CDPH began collecting information on oral sex from persons with syphilis. To assess the role of oral sex in the transmission of P&S syphilis in Chicago, CDPH analyzed surveillance data and interview responses. This report summarizes the results of these analyses, which suggested that a substantial proportion (13.7%) of syphilis cases were attributed to oral sex, particularly among MSM. Persons who are not in a long-term monogamous relationship and who engage in oral sex should use barrier protection (e.g., male condoms or other barrier methods) to reduce the risk for sexually transmitted disease (STD) transmission.

Chicago↗