South African doctors are using the dating app Grinder, which serves the LGBTQ+ community, to fight the spread of mpox. Men who have sex with other men are statistically at higher risk of being infected by mpox.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Johannesburg is a booming city that's recently been battling a spike in STIs and other illnesses.
00:06The risk of contracting HIV and Ampox is high here, especially for men who have sex with men, shorthand MSM.
00:13Trans people too face a higher risk, especially for HIV.
00:18Users of the dating platform Grindr are shown information about Ampox directly in the app.
00:26Researchers from Essentia, a local medical center, have teamed up with Grindr
00:31to increase awareness of the dangers of STIs among the app's users.
00:38We received communication that the first cases of Ampox had been reported
00:43and it seemed that it was spreading mostly in the MSM community and they were at higher risk of getting Ampox.
00:52So we decided to use our partnership with Grindr to create awareness around Ampox.
00:58So we have since submitted some information around symptoms associated with Ampox
01:04and what to report and how it spread.
01:07We have shared this with Grindr for them to post on their platform for their users.
01:12Grindr users are also shown information on the HIV prevention medication known as PrEP.
01:18The Essentia Research Center has partnered up with an online store
01:22so that users are just a click away from ordering PrEP or HIV tests.
01:27Before any medication is delivered, a blood test and an online medical consultation are required.
01:33But what about data protection?
01:35Grindr does collect information about its users via cookies, for example, just like other apps and websites.
01:41But the company says it does not collect data on whether users respond to the medical offers.
01:47We are not collecting any data in regards to the pop-up messages.
01:53These are just a way that we are connecting users to the resources and services that are shared locally.
02:00So, for example, if a user orders PrEP through the Essentia Center,
02:04we would not know which user orders it, where their home is or where that location is.
02:09That is only shared within the Essentia Center and their platform.
02:15Users on dating apps divulge a lot of private information.
02:19But should medical data really be part of that?
02:22Then again, discreetly finding out about prevention options online can be hugely beneficial to many people.
02:30We have long waiting times, discrimination and stigma in a lot of our health facilities for LGBT people.
02:38So accessing it on a platform like social media or Grindr makes it a lot accessible
02:44and also safe for LGBT people that they don't worry about having that face-to-face interaction.