QUOTE
St. Louis sees syphilis outbreak
Buck Collier
Of the Suburban Journals
South City Journal
Wednesday, Feb. 09 2005
It was a party that you didn't want to be invited to. Health investigators say it attracted men from around the country who brought with them more than a desire to have a good time. What was left after the gathering was the latest outbreak of syphilis in St. Louis, an outbreak that numbered 15 cases within a two-week period of time. According to Frank Lydon of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DOHSS), that's enough to put Metro St. Louis at the top of the list among other metro areas in the U.S. battling the latest syphilis resurgence. "We didn't have 15 cases for most of last year," he said last week during a meeting of the Southside Bosnian Services Collaborative. Lydon noted that the syphilis concern thus far does not apply to the Bosnian community. While this latest flare up of the disease has been traced by health investigators to a party that attracted homosexual men to St. Louis from such cities as Dallas and Chicago, Lydon said the sexually transmitted disease is being spread throughout the heterosexual population. And it's crossing political boundaries, he said. "The disease is entrenched in the city of St. Louis, but it's also showing up in (St. Louis) County and St. Charles County," he said. Cases of syphilis have turned up recently among the area's prostitutes, Lydon noted. The state health agency representative conceded that cases of syphilis are being seen at an increased level nationwide, but, he added, "Only this time, we're ahead of the curve." Meanwhile, the future of the collaborative is clouded as Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church, which serves as the base of the collaborative's work, is scheduled to be merged with another parish under a parish-consolidation plan being considered by the St. Louis Archdiocese. It's not known if the new parish would host the collaborative. Resurrection Pastor Tom Wyrsch, who serves as chairman of the collaborative, remains optimistic that the organization will be able to continue working to integrate Bosnian refugees into the St. Louis community. The collaborative includes a variety of public and private agencies that provide services – such as health and education -- to the Bosnians. The International Institute of Saint Louis, the leading resettlement agency in the city and a member of the collaborative from its inception five years ago this month, will be hosting a Prosperity Fair on Saturday, March 5, at the Institute. Senior Vice President Ann Rynearson said the fair will offer financial information and educational opportunity information. It will be open to the public and interpreters will be available. Nail Kudic of the Bosnian Cultural Community Center, 5230 Gravois, said that organization is planning this year's Bosnian Festival for Sunday, May 29, in the Bevo Mill area. Kudic said organizers expect as crowd of at least 10,000. Bayless School District Superintendent Maureen Clancy-May, whose district has seen a significant increase in the number of Bosnian students in recent years, is nominating Wyrsch in his role as collaborative chairman for the What's Right in the Region Award.
Buck Collier
Of the Suburban Journals
South City Journal
Wednesday, Feb. 09 2005
It was a party that you didn't want to be invited to. Health investigators say it attracted men from around the country who brought with them more than a desire to have a good time. What was left after the gathering was the latest outbreak of syphilis in St. Louis, an outbreak that numbered 15 cases within a two-week period of time. According to Frank Lydon of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DOHSS), that's enough to put Metro St. Louis at the top of the list among other metro areas in the U.S. battling the latest syphilis resurgence. "We didn't have 15 cases for most of last year," he said last week during a meeting of the Southside Bosnian Services Collaborative. Lydon noted that the syphilis concern thus far does not apply to the Bosnian community. While this latest flare up of the disease has been traced by health investigators to a party that attracted homosexual men to St. Louis from such cities as Dallas and Chicago, Lydon said the sexually transmitted disease is being spread throughout the heterosexual population. And it's crossing political boundaries, he said. "The disease is entrenched in the city of St. Louis, but it's also showing up in (St. Louis) County and St. Charles County," he said. Cases of syphilis have turned up recently among the area's prostitutes, Lydon noted. The state health agency representative conceded that cases of syphilis are being seen at an increased level nationwide, but, he added, "Only this time, we're ahead of the curve." Meanwhile, the future of the collaborative is clouded as Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church, which serves as the base of the collaborative's work, is scheduled to be merged with another parish under a parish-consolidation plan being considered by the St. Louis Archdiocese. It's not known if the new parish would host the collaborative. Resurrection Pastor Tom Wyrsch, who serves as chairman of the collaborative, remains optimistic that the organization will be able to continue working to integrate Bosnian refugees into the St. Louis community. The collaborative includes a variety of public and private agencies that provide services – such as health and education -- to the Bosnians. The International Institute of Saint Louis, the leading resettlement agency in the city and a member of the collaborative from its inception five years ago this month, will be hosting a Prosperity Fair on Saturday, March 5, at the Institute. Senior Vice President Ann Rynearson said the fair will offer financial information and educational opportunity information. It will be open to the public and interpreters will be available. Nail Kudic of the Bosnian Cultural Community Center, 5230 Gravois, said that organization is planning this year's Bosnian Festival for Sunday, May 29, in the Bevo Mill area. Kudic said organizers expect as crowd of at least 10,000. Bayless School District Superintendent Maureen Clancy-May, whose district has seen a significant increase in the number of Bosnian students in recent years, is nominating Wyrsch in his role as collaborative chairman for the What's Right in the Region Award.