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20/12/04 The Pinkpaper reported:
A New Sexually Transmitted Disease "LGV" [Lymphogranuloma Venereum] Comes To The UK 
Gay men in Britain have now been diagnosed with the first cases of a new STD which is spreading here from Europe. Outbreak's of Lymphogranuloma Venereum are most common in the Caribbean, Africa and South East Asia, but recently they have been spotted in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Cases have now been diagnosed in Britain, although in London the number of men infected is still in single figures. If left untreated, LGV can leave disastrous and permanent scarring, swelling and tissue damage to the genitals and anus.
HOW CAN IT BE CAUGHT?
The disease is passed on almost exclusively by sex when the warm, moist skin of the mouth, penis or rectum of two people come in contact with each other. It is mostly transmitted by oral or anal sex when condoms are not used. Fisting and sharing sex toys is also dangerous
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS
In the first stage, men get a small, usually painless sore or blister where the bacteria enters the body, for example; the penis, throat or rectum. Many don't notice this stage. Between 10 - 30 days later, or even longer sufferers can feel ill and have a fever. Glands will swell up near where they were infected - [lymph glands] in their throats, neck or armpits if they caught it through the mouth.
Other symptoms can include constipation, diarrhoea and pain, pus or blood coming from the anus or abscesses may develop. Sufferers get painful, swollen glands in the penis which may become large and break through the skin, draining out pus.
HOW CAN IT BE TREATED
It can be treated at this stage with three weeks of antibiotics, followed by a test to check it had worked. But if it isn't dealt with, victims may need surgery and the damage can be permanent.
Will Nutland Head of Gay Men's Health Promotion at the Terrence Higgins Trust, said:
"Information suggests that men who are f##king without condoms or the ones fisting without latex gloves are most at risk of LGV. Although it is treated with a three week course of antibiotics. If it ignored it can result in serious damage to the arse or genitals. We want to emphasise that cases of LGV are still small at the moment, but men should be aware that it can be fairly easily transmitted during sex. The Terrence Higgins Trust recommends that any men experiencing any of these symptoms, to contact their sexual health clinic for an immediate check-up. We also recommend that all sexually active men, especially those with a large number of sexual partners, have regular screenings for sexually transmitted infections.
The disease was noticed in Europe when doctors saw men returning to the clinic with Chlamydia that would not go away. Unlike normal Chlamydia, which LGV is a strain of, it needs 21 days of antibiotics to treat it, not just five. The Terrence Higgins Trust is worried that clinics which aren't used to spotting it, might be miss-diagnosing it as a simple Chlamydia. So the T.H.T is sending briefing documentation to doctors and gay health projects.
Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is the leading HIV & AIDS charity in the UK and the largest in Europe. Established in 1982, it was the first charity to be set up in response to the HIV epidemic and has been at the forefront of the fight against HIV & AIDS ever since.
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[IMPORTANT B-F-P HEALTH DISCLAIMER ON THIS ARTICLE: B-F-P is aware of the many young men searching for professional health advise on recognising the symptoms of STD's. Certain statements by Will Nutland of Gay Men's Health sound a little arrogant and sound like statements of promoting safer sex for sexual pleasure houses such as sauna’s, as his advise in the above article appears to be unprofessional and guttural; for example, with his poorly chosen words like “f##king”, instead of "all sexual activities", because a qualified practitioner would word it correctly considering LGV (in relation to the use of condoms) does not just apply to anal or virginal intercourse. Another ill chosen word he uses is "arse" (which means buttocks) and not his earlier use of the correct medical terms “rectum” and “anus”. This courses confusion for many young men for when they need to “self diagnose” symptoms before approaching a practitioner to confirm any STD’s. These discrepancies leaves many wondering if Will Nutland is qualified enough to advise or even if he knows his arse from his arsehole. Plus B-F-P is seriously concerned as to why the Terrence Higgins Trust seems to use the acronym LGV since Lymphogranuloma Venereum is only two words needing only two letters - LV, not three LGV, thus making LGV inappropriate to what it actually is, and gives any prejudice idiot the presupposition that the acronym LGV only applies to the LGBT community, thus also being misconstrued as the Lesbian & Gay Virus. No statements have been given by anyone on LGV explaining that it applies to every person and sexuality. If you feel confused about this disclaimer, then please read the above article again.]
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