ABSTRACT
Being a bacterial infection, syphilis is treatable using antibiotics, often penicillin. After years of decline, cases of syphilis began to rise in San Francisco in 1999, particularly among gay men and men who have sex with men. In the course of their investigation, the medical personnel had suspicions that many of the subjects had met new sexual partners online through an internet site. So, they conducted an analysis to better understand whether there was sufficient evidence to conclude that those who tested positive for syphilis were more likely to use the internet site to meet new partners. In addition, to increase syphilis awareness, education, and testing, the medical team funded a social marketing firm to develop a “Healthy Penis campaign.” Six months after the campaign began in June 2003, evaluations of the campaign showed that 80% of gay/bisexual men surveyed throughout San Francisco were aware of the epidemic.
