Private MD News

Facebook game encourages men to seek STD testing

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Men who have sex with men are known to face a higher risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. For this reason, many health experts recommend that these individuals seek regular STD testing. Now, a Facebook game is pushing this message for gay men.

The game is titled "Man Up." According to the Huffington Post, it requires players to bounce from one bed to the next, racking up points for each successive bed they reach. However, these points only count if the player banks them at a clinic, which is meant to represent getting an STD test.

The games creators told the news source that men who have sex with men should be tested at least once every six months, or more frequently for those who have multiple sexual partners. The game helps drive home message to these individuals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 64 percent of all reported cases of syphilis occurred in men who have sex with men in 2006. This underscores the high risk faced by this population. The best way to prevent the spread of infections is to go for regular STD testing.