S.L.U.T.S Might Be The Answer To Ending Syphilis Outbreak

A new public health campaign is reclaiming the terms SLUTS and flipping the narrative on an age-old stigmatising term, by highlighting DoxyPEP (Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) users as superheroes in their communities.

The campaign S.L.U.T.S (Sexy Legends Unlikely to Transmit Syphilis) aims to encourage eligible men who have sex with men (MSM) to consider DoxyPEP as a form of preventing syphilis and chlamydia.

Burnett Foundation Interim General Manager Alex Anderson says that the rising levels of syphilis have been a sign of concern since before 2020, with MSM having the highest rate of infection.

“DoxyPEP eligibility is pretty strict and limited to those individuals with the highest risk of transmission. This way we can maximise the impact of the drug while minimizing the risks of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacterial STIs,” says Mr. Anderson.

Māori and Pacific people are also disproportionately affected by negative health outcomes from syphilis transmission in Aotearoa. The latest data from 2023 indicate that Māori and Pacific people were twice as likely to acquire syphilis compared to people of other ethnicities.

DoxyPEP has been studied and proven effective for people assigned male at birth who are having sex with men.

“To make it easier for people to check if it’s right for them, we’ve launched a new eligibility tool on our website, which also includes all the information our communities need to help stop the transmission of syphilis,” says Mr. Anderson.

The new campaign features three gay men who become superheroes (S.L.U.T.S) by taking DoxyPEP and protecting their community from STI transmission.

“We hope that by flipping a sex-shaming term on its head, we can celebrate these people as heroes for taking responsibility for combatting our syphilis outbreak,” says Mr. Anderson.

Syphilis is a bacterial infection that infects the penis, anus, vagina or throat, and then spreads to different parts of the body through the bloodstream. If left untreated, it can cause damage to the nerves, bones, skin, eyes and brain.

You can test for syphilis via a blood test, through your local sexual health clinic, GP, Burnett Foundation clinic, or as part of an STI test kit available through the Burnett Foundation website.

To find out more about about DoxyPEP visit www.burnettfoundation.org.nz/sluts

Supplementary information:

• S.L.U.T.S launch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUE1xYN1Bfk
• In 2023, MSM represented 59.2% of the 736 cases in Aotearoa.
• Of all infectious syphilis cases among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 2023, 204 cases (47%) were European/Other, 87 (20%) were Asian, 67 (15%) were Māori, 33 (8%) were Pacific, 33 (8%) were MELAA, and 12 cases were of unknown ethnicity.
• SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS IN NEW ZEALAND: SUPPLEMENTARY ANNUAL SURVEILLANCE REPORT 2023: https://www.esr.cri.nz/media/wj2jei5x/final_sti_supplementary_20240813.pdf

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