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Article: SYPHILIS CASES TRACED TO CHAT-ROOM PALS MEDICAL, PRIVACY ISSUES ARE RAISED.(News)
- Article from:
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Article date:
- August 25, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In what health officials believe is the first time a disease cluster has been traced to cyberspace, the Department of Public Health here has tracked an outbreak of syphilis cases to homosexual liaisons initiated through an America Online chat room.
Six men who have contracted syphilis in the last three months have traced their last sexual encounters to partners they met through an America Online member-created chat room called San Francisco Men 4 Men (SFM4M), city health officials said.
The case is a new development for public health officials who traditionally define an affected group by members' physical proximity or relation, and poses a question for ...