3. ONLINE SEX RESEARCH FACTOIDS

"The Internet has become the bathhouse of the new millennium," according to GayHealth.com's medical director, Dr. Stephen Goldstone.

Chat rooms and bulletin boards have become the most commonly used venues for arranging sexual encounters. Many gay men are attracted to bulletin boards, which allow users to post information that can facilitate surreptitious meetings, like travel itineraries and the names of the nearest big cities.

There's a great potential for the Internet to facilitate STD and HIV transmission because it seems to allow gay/bisexual men who have a large number of sex partners to have an even greater number and because this increase in sex partners can allow for disease transmission to increase exponentially.

Early research has detected a number of trends. Early evidence suggests that gay/bisexual men who find sex partners online may actually be more cautious about using condoms. Also, some men who identify with a particular sexual orientation have been seen to stray from it — e.g., men who may not identify as gay are having sex with same-sex partners they meet via the Internet and men who identify as gay are having sex with partners of the opposite sex.

Another study found MSMs who look for sex on the Internet outnumber exclusively heterosexual men almost 2 to 1. The same study also found that MSMs tend to find their male sexual partners online and their female sex partners offline, suggesting that the Internet may facilitate already occurring same-sex behaviors. It consistently found that men going online tended to be using the Internet for sexual contact with other men. This study also found that although MSMs had a larger number of partners, they used condoms more often than non-MSMs did. These MSMs still remain at risk for STD/HIV infection despite their relatively consistent use of condoms because their condom use is still not 100% of the time, and there are more sexual partners involved. A separate study by the same principal investigator found the overall risk of sexually transmitted infections (including HIV) to be greater than the risk from offline partners.

CHLAMYDIA
Publication Date : 1/02/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Symptoms, complications and treatment for the infection known as chlamydia
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5450.html

Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea
Publication Date : 1/02/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Symptoms, complications and treatment for the infection known as chlamydia and Gonorrhoea
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/6135.html

Genital Herpes (HSV)
Publication Date : 1/02/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Causes, symptoms and treatment for genital herpes and advice to people when they have a recurrence
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5465.html
What you should know about herpes
Publication Date : 29/01/1996
Author: NSW Health
Summary: How to prevent herpes. Where to find confidential treatment.
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/3360.html


Genital wart virus infections (HPV)
Publication Date : 1/06/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Causes, treatment and general information about Genital Wart Virus Infection
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5470.html


Gonorrhoea
Publication Date : 1/06/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Causes, symptoms, treatment, complications and general information about gonorrhoea
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5475.html


Non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU)
Publication Date : 1/06/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Causes, symptoms, treatment, complications of non-gonoccocal urethritis and general advice to a person under treatment
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5515.html


Pubic lice (crabs)
Publication Date : 1/06/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Description of pubic lice, how someone gets infected and information about treatment
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5520.html

Syphilis
Publication Date : 1/06/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Causes, symptoms and treatment for syphilis, and advice for people with the disease
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5525.html


Trichomoniasis
Publication Date : 1/06/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: The cause, symptoms and treatment of trichomoniasis, with advice for a person with Trich
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5530.html


Hepatitis A
Publication Date : 1/09/1999
Author: SSHC
Summary: Causes and symptoms of Hepatitis A with information about preventing transmission and vaccination
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5480.html


Hepatitis B
Publication Date : 30/06/1995
Author: SSHC
Summary: What is hepatitis? What is hepatitis B? How do you catch it? What can you do to stop passing the disease to others? High risk groups, vaccine.
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/853.html
What is it Hepatitis B
Summary: Causes and symptoms of Hepatitis B, information about vaccination and advice for carriers of the Hepatitis B virus
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5485.html


Hepatitis C
Publication Date : 1/05/2000
Author: SA + QLD Health
Summary: A booklet for people living with hepatitis C, their families and careers, and people
who may be at risk of hepatitis C infection.
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5950.html

Hepatitis C: The Facts - Understanding is the Answer
Publication Date : 1/01/2000
Author: NSW Health
Summary: What is hepatitis? What are the symptoms? Ho do I know if I have hepatitis C? What are the long-term effects of hepatitis? How is hepatitis C spread? Hepatitis C can also be spread by: How is hepatitis C NOT transmitted? What about sex? Can I give hepatitis C to my baby? How can I avoid becoming infected? What should I do if I already have hepatitis C? Is there any treatment for hepatitis C? Hepatitis C and discrimination.
http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/5805.html