nsw stigma syphilis campaign
DESCRIPTION
An overview of the NSW STIGMA Syphilis Campaign in 2007 by Nick Corrigan.TRANSCRIPT
Join Me!
•An overview of the NSW STIGMA Syphilis Campaign
Nick Corrigan
Director, Community Health
Overview
• Local data• STI prevention 2004-2007• Changes in rates• STIGMA response• Next steps
The rise and fall in NSW
Like a phoenix from the ashes
A partnership response
• From each of the South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service, Sydney South West Area Health Service and Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service.
– Director, Public Health Unit – Director, Sexual Health Services – Manager, HIV/Sexual Health promotion – Manager, HIV/AIDS/Sexual health program
• Director and a Manager, ACON • General Practitioners, Division of General Practice representatives • General Practitioner, HIV GP Study Group • National Centre in HIV Social Research • National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research • Manager, People Living with HIV/AIDS (NSW) • AIDS/Infectious Diseases Branch, New South Wales Health Department
Five complementary aspects of a Syphilis control program
• Screening• Clinical diagnosis• Treatment• Partner notification• Health education
• Cates, Willard et al (1996)
Just one month
Screening
• Encourage health care providers to routinely test all pos gay men for syphilis when conducting regular blood tests between October 2007 and April 2008.
• Ensure men are aware that there is enhanced access to testing and treatment from 1-30 October 2007.
• Ensure men are aware that testing at the same time as others in their sexual networks has a greater impact than regular testing alone.
• Encourage men to present for testing from 1-30 October 2007.
Clinical diagnosis
Encourage health care providers to explore ways of maximising the number of syphilis tests they can provide in October by enhancing access to clinical services for this target group.
Treatment
• Treatment of diagnosed infection• Encourage health care providers to treat according to CDC
guidelines
• Prophylactic treatment or sexual partners of infected individuals
• Encourage health care providers to treat for syphilis prior to return of positive result after probable exposure.
• Encourage use of benzathine penicillin (one shot)
• Mass treatment of communities with high prevalence
• Not a part of this intervention.
Partner notification
• Encourage health care providers to promote partner notification / contact tracing.
• Encourage infected and treated individuals to contact their sexual partners.
Health education
• Ensure men are aware that there is a high prevalence rate of syphilis in their networks.
• Ensure men are aware of the negative health impact of untreated syphilis.
• Ensure men are aware of the HIV related health impact of syphilis infection.
Strategies
• Contact with individual health care providers.
• Structural changes to services offered• Education through press editorial• Social marketing
Contact with individual health care providers.
Structural changes to services offered
• Nurse-only clinic (Sanctuary SSW)• Sexual Health Service's clinical 'careset' for
HIV positive clients (CS)• All male clients offered tests (RPAH HIV
Outpatients Clinic) • Emphasized gay men in triage system
Education through press editorial
• Early involvement of journalist• Enabled wider message than social
marketing
Social marketing
• Posters (1,500)• Post cards (3,000)• Press (8 placements)• Banners • Social networks
Real people
Targeted messages
Venue partnerships
Peer to peer
• Model’s elists• Online chat through sexpigs.com
Ongoing promotion
Why test update
Evaluation
• Web stats• Test requests• Syphilis diagnoses• Clinical changes• Campaign recognition• Target audience feedback• Model feedback
Feedback so far …
Pos groups Community members Clinic staff± Venues
Plans for the future
• Annual?• Cross state?
