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Plagued: Part 4—Will We Ever Learn?
| Length: | 52 min |
| Released: | 0 |
| Ages: |
College Adult |
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Sixteenth century Italy saw the scourge of a brutal epidemic of syphilis. It remained a deadly disease until the discovery of penicillin in the 20th century. In 1975, the big health problems in the gay community were gonorrhea and syphilis, but the medical profession relied on antibiotics instead of encouraging safe sex. When AIDS arrived in the 1980s it found an unprotected community among gay men. There are many similarities between syphilis and AIDS. Syphilis, like AIDS, occurred in young people living in urban areas. The early stages of both disease are difficult to recognize. Both diseases were considered shameful. Ironically, syphilis has reemerged among the poor populations of our major cities. This program shows the interaction between the two epidemics, HIV and syphilis, fostered by drug use and prostitution.
Member of a series:
• Plagued: The Series
• Anthropology
• Health
