Howdy guys,

I've been so busy with so many things lately that I haven't posted on the Message Board much lately. I do check it and look at posts here, but I seldom have time to write. Knowing myself too well, when I write I often write at length.

Anyhow, I'd seen that no one had posted anything about the Zika virus. I thought I should bring it up since it's Mardi Gras and Carnival season and of course, Zika is epidemic just now in Brazil. But there's more.

Earlier this week my local news here in Houston led off with the story that a Zika virus case was found in Texas, actually in Dallas, which had been acquired through sexual transmission. Later that evening, a national news report talked about a possible link between Zika and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The possible Zika-GBS connection had been previously reported in January, but most media attention was on the greater danger to pregnant women whose babies were born with microcephaly. Different sources report it is being investigated by the CDC and by agencies in Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Zika is said to have been first seen in Uganda in 1947. The CDC has vast information about Zika online. Regarding symptoms, they say that illness happens in only 1 in 5 people affected, and that the common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, sometimes muscle pain and headache. They say it's usually mild and lasts several days to a week. Also, "Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for about a week but it can be found longer in some people."

There is a CDC Travelers' Health site for those who may be going to tropical or subtropical areas, and you can also see a map with the countries with active Zika outbreaks. As you already know, those who travel may bring Zika home with them or take it to other parts of the world.

The most common route of transmission has been through the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads yellow fever and other tropical diseases, both in tropical and subtropical areas. Aside from bringing these diseases around the globe, the University of Florida tells us that Aedes aegypti has been seen in twenty-three states, but by the mid-1900s aggressive mosquito control had largely eradicated it. They go into some detail about it's subsequent spread and control efforts. This mosquito has spreading in the 21st Century.

Anecdotally, I've seen local or regional reports of chikungunya and dengue cases in the last few years, although I don't recall if these were connected with travelers or from mosquitoes that were here. Today's report is 7 Zika cases in our area, all from travelers. Although we still have cold nights and no mosquitoes, Florida has declared a state of emergency, since expanded to five counties, to allow the state to begin spraying.

Now we know that Zika is also may be transmitted through blood – confirmed in Brazil – and through semen, as in the Dallas case.

What does this have to do with Zika and men having sex? In the Texas case, Dallas County Health and Human Services said that a patient was infected with Zika after having sex with someone who traveled to Venezeula and was infected there. Both have since fully recovered. Quoting the CDC, "A person who recently traveled to an area with Zika virus transmission returned to the United States and developed Zika-like symptoms. The person later tested positive for Zika, along with their sexual partner, who had not traveled to the area.”

So if you've read this far, here's why I made this post: If you're a man, you are not going to have to worry about being pregnant nor giving birth to a child with microcephaly. However, you have a good chance of having a bad short-lived illness if infected by Zika. Or you may even possibly get GBS.

Personally, I don't give advice. I do believe information is important, although whatever risk Zika provides to men-seeking-men seems to pale compared to those who may have microcephalic babies.

From the NIH, GBS is a rare but serious nervous system disorder which can occur after a viral infection. To summarize what the NIH says, GBS often first causes weakness and tingling sensations. Symptoms of weakness and neuropathy may spread, and in the most severe cases may lead to paralysis. They say, “Most individuals, however, have good recovery from even the most severe cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, although some continue to have a certain degree of weakness.”

Per the CDC, "We do not know if Zika virus infection causes GBS." They are working with Brazil to determine this. It's been reported that Brazil has been slow to cooperate. Colombia's Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria believes the connection exists, and says, "We are currently talking about a rate of 2.3 cases of Guillain-Barré for every 1,000 patients with Zika. That is quite a lot." The article goes on to say that the country expects "about 657,000 cases of Zika" and "over 1,500 cases" of GBS.

Meanwhile, there is research into a Zika vaccine in the US and an Indian company says it has the first two Zika vaccine candidates.

Down in Rio, the Carnival goes on.

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Since I posted earlier, I learned that the CDC has issued Interim Guidelines for Prevention of Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus. They cite 3 cases of sexual transmission of Zika, with the Dallas case actually the second.

The CDC has specific recommendations for men who have sexual partners who are pregnant and who live in or traveled to areas of active Zika transmission. Essentially, they say to abstain from sex or else use condoms for the duration of the pregnancy. The focus thus seems to be on the risk of microcephaly.

For similar men with non-pregnant sexual partners, the CDC says those "who are concerned about sexual transmission of Zika virus might consider abstaining from sexual activity or using condoms consistently and correctly during sex. Couples considering this personal decision should take several factors into account. Most infections are asymptomatic, and when illness does occur, it is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week; severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon."

Considering that barebacking is very common among men who have sex with men {regardless of what name or label you use for your identity, if you do) and also that I'll be posting several bareback video clips on the CFS Home Page this weekend, Zika - and whatever it means for us - is worth mentioning.

I'm sorry don't have time right now to discuss the other very well known risks associated with barebacking, not just HIV but other diseases.

At some point, we can return to that in today's context, but this particular discussion should be for Zika specifically.

Thanks all ~ Bob S. Manager/Editor

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One of the big issues with the modern interconnected world is nothing stays isolated. Diseases that in the past what would have stayed in one country now quickly spread everywhere.

I have even seen reports that there is concern about Zika carrying mosquitoes being inside luggage so that even if the person does not come back with the virus when they open their suitcase it can fly out and still infect someone.

Oh joy - yet another thing to be worried about!

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Yup. The Zika is pretty much all over the news in most of the major European languages.

I have always been a pro-safer sex person for a host of obvious reasons for quite a few years now, hence this particular outbreak really changes nothing in my books.

I have serious doubts that your typical gay male BBs would take this particular virus seriously. The symptoms are simply too mild to really scare anyone into beefing up their protection, and the fact that the focus, so far, has been on pregnant women, does little to create any level of particular awareness among the barebacking gay men.

Just my 2 cents based on my experience and gut feeling.

KD

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Very true - if the risk of HIV will not get them to use a condom I doubt this will...

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I have a new software package that is meant to replace the current CFS Home Page and all the sub-pages on that section of the site. This will mean that instead of the cumbersome hard-coded HTML Keith had used I'll be able to update or add pages much more quickly and easily.

Once I have that installed -- and it's my top priority for the new software and software updates -- I intend to add a page for health issues for men who have sex with men. I'll be able to keep it updated as there are new developments, such as that meningitis outbreak among gay men in 2012 and again later, the approval of Truvada, and issues such as Zika.

To the extent that a lot of the guys who use CFS are married or have girlfriends, the microcephaly issue may be significant to them. From what I've read, the GBS issue seems to have happened in very few cases despite way that one article quoted the Colombian Health Minister.

All for now, too much to do as ever. ~ Bob S.

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It would be very cool to get this new page, and a bit of revamped site, too.

I guess, some of us who have been hanging around for a long time may be missing the 'old' layout but we all know that the things do change, don't they?

I am probably just too nosey, but cannot stop short of wondering about the 'lot of guys who use CFS being married or having girlfriends'?

Has there ever been a poll or is it an observation?

Thanks!

KD

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And there are reports of Zika virus being present in saliva and transmissible orally.

BWT, since you asked, I'm married.

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It's an observation. I can't think of any way to do an accurate poll. I base it on what I see in the Sex Listings reviews. I also see it in reviews on the Escort site.

Bob S. ~ Manager/Editor

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Thanks for your reply.

Thanks to Pike, for sharing, too!

KD

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Just one thing more: I'm still managing (or coping?) with several ongoing emergencies and unexpected crises since mid-December. It would be unrealistic right now to set the timeframe for the changes, but they definitely have to happen and are underway.

The last real changes in the site's templates were designed by Keith in possibly 2010 or 2011 and didn't truly accommodate mobile browsers. Just glancing at our stats, recently we've had 35% of our users coming from a mobile o/s, whether it's a phone or a table, Apple, Android, or whatever.

A recent article claimed that 52.7% of Internet users last year worldwide used mobile devices. That number came from a source which said it was 75.1% in the US.

I assume that includes folks who primarily use Apps, but I've also read that many people rely on a mobile device as their primary web browser. They may not even have a laptop or desktop, or they may use it less for entertainment and social/hookup purposes.

So many of these mobile users are being lost by CFS to other sites.

Thus, we need to change to keep an audience and simply to stay in business.

Stay tuned. ~ Bob S.

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"Observationally" I would agree.

I see lots of posts from guys who fooled around when younger - got married - had kids - and now want to know those feelings again.

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A quick note: Our local TV news reported briefly on the CDC's statement today about Zika. More details from CNN: CDC investigates 14 more possible cases of sexually transmitted Zika virus.

Several - an unspecified number - were pregnant women. Two cases are women who had sexual contact with a man who returned from a place where the Zika outbreak. Lab results are pending for four, another eight are under investigation. There are also additional reports of Zika connected with Guillain-Barré syndrome Zika has been linked to birth defects. Now it may be causing paralysis. including not just paralysis. In Colombia, at least three deaths were reported. These seem to be happening in both males and females.

It seems to me only a matter of time before a case of transmission from man to man is reported. Although the risks to Zika-infected pregnant women and their babies are much more significant than to the seemingly rare Guillain-Barré connection causing complications, it's something to think about. As mentioned earlier, Zika has not just been found in blood and semen but also saliva.

I'm considering posting a link to this discussion on the sidebar of the CRUISING for ESCORTS site, possibly also a link to the current discussion of married men having sex with men.

The point of all this is to provide information that people cane factor into their decisions, As I've said before, I generally don't advise people on what to do with their sex partners and how to handle risk. I do want people to have the information needed to make their own decision if desired.

Separately, our local news reported on the First hospital-based rapid tests for Zika virus unveiled in Houston. This rapid test is currently available at the two hospitals that worked together to develop it. They say the two facilities plan to accept referrals from other facilities. Hopefully they will release the test itself to other facilities sooner rather than later.

Finally, although mosquito season has not quite arrived in Greater Houston, the authorities are taking aggressive steps to clean up things like old tires and such that can harbor standing water that often is a mosquito hiding and breeding grounds.

~ Bob S.

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I remember as teens when a buddy and I were starting to play around and he made the comment that since guys can't get pregnant "it is safer with a guy - no rubbers or anything needed".

I miss the good old (although naive) days.....

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Yup. With the doubtless benefit of the hindsight, we were all pretty naive

But for the men who were fooling around with both men or women there was a period of time when you believed that BB sex with men was safe. The guy was not going to get pregnant (a huge plus), and if you caught any bug, a few shots of penicillin would do the trick...

No doubt, we all learned, haven't we?

KD

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