Health clinics in San Francisco are working overtime to slow a "multi-year rise" of sexually-transmitted disease, according to reports.
While HIV is on the decline, cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are on the rise, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
Gay men are most at risk of contracting an STD, the newspaper reported. Health officials have launched a campaign directed at making men aware of their risk, the newspaper reported.
One clinic, Magnet in the Castro, will use text messages to alert men to get their, ahem, parts checked.
“Syphilis, like the ’80s, is back — especially with guys who bareback,” one text reads. “Get to Magnet every three months if condoms aren’t your thing.”
According to figures, 1,278 cases of gonorrhea have been reported so far this year, compared with 1,015 in the same time period of 2011, the newspaper reported. For chlamydia, 2,412 cases have been reported this year compared with 2,288 last year.
Syphilis cases rose by 100, from 392 to 492, the newspaper reported.
