Gay individuals and same sex couples are more likely to become susceptible to the latest strain of MRSA, according to the latest study in America. The USA300 bug has been very prominent amongst the gay communities of Castro in San Francisco and can lead to a type of pneumonia which eats flesh in the lungs, as well as causing large boils and even fatalities from blood poisoning. Many homosexuals here in the UK are deciding to make the most of health insurance policies, either as an individual or as part of a couple to ensure that top quality private treatment centres are accessible to them to reduce chances of developing an infection. People may also decide to get an online quotation for health insurance to reassure themselves that an efficient and trustworthy healthcare service is available to them if they ever contract the illness.

The research was published by in Annals for Internal Medicine earlier on this year and is based on medical records from both medical centres and outpatient clinics in San Francisco and Boston. It found that around 3,800 people, or one in 588, had the bug in the area. It also discovered that USA300 was thirteen times more likely to be carried by a gay person. Although there have been only two recorded cases in the UK so far of the MRSA strain, which is resistant to many types of common antibiotics, the high numbers remain a concern for many people, and may cause them to consider a health insurance policy as a precautionary measure.

Professor Mark Enright, from Imperial College and St Mary's Hospital, London, Britain's leading authority on MRSA, told the BBC: "It's quite surprising that the figures are so high. We do know that the USA300 strain is extremely good at spreading between people through skin-to-skin contact. The main reservoir for this infection is gay men, drug users, and those involved in contact sports, like wrestling.”

Smear tests are now offered as routine tests every three to five years for each woman between the ages of 25 and 65 in the UK, both on the NHS and as part of thorough health checks offered through some health insurance policies. They are vital in the early detection of illnesses such as cervical cancer, and are said to save up to 6000 lives every year but many women feel embarrassed by the thought of going for such a test and bypass the procedure. However, research has shown that up to half of all new cases of cervical cancer come from those women that have never or rarely had a simple smear test.

It is feared that lesbians might be more at risk from the disease as many have the preconceived thought that because they have never had intercourse with a man, or not for a long time, that they are unlikely to develop cervical cancer, but this is far from the case. The disease is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus, which many women are led to believe only occurs in women who have had a heterosexual relationship, but around one in five who have never come into close contact with a man have the virus. Some doctors and nurses have even misled women by telling them that such a test is unnecessary. This, and the fact that many lesbians feel isolated from previously discriminating health insurance policies, may mean that they are discouraged from visiting a health centre for the pain-free examination that could potentially save their lives.

Private health insurance companies such as Freedom Healthnet, have offered discrimination free policies ever since the company was set up four years ago, meaning that either as an individual or as part of a same sex couple or civil partnership, the gay and lesbian community are getting quotes for private medical cover.