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Students dismiss the importance of sexual health

Written by Megan on August 13, 2009 — Leave a Comment

When it comes to personal health, many people will see a doctor or physician at any sign of trouble. Unfortunately it is often the opposite when it comes to sexual health. Many people see discussing their sexual health as being taboo, when in fact it should be the exact opposite. Talking about it is very important, especially if there are signs or symptoms of a problem.

Many people are scared to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or ask about their sexual health because of myths that exist about it. Some of these myths respond to confidentiality. Many people are worried that if they test, their friends, colleagues, or parents might find out about it. The truth is that many places offer confidential testing and treatment, where all information is held between the patient and provider.

Other people are worried that the testing process is painful or uncomfortable, when in fact one can test for almost every STD with either a blood or urine sample. If a blood draw sounds uncomfortable, it may help to know that it involves only a small needle and a short time of actual drawing.

Some individuals are concerned that if they contract an STD they will have it for life. In reality all STDs can be treated, and most of them can be cured. Curable diseases include syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis. STDs that cannot be cured, but are treatable are the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes.

A lot of people believe that if they haven’t had sex they cannot receive an STD. The truth is that STDs can be contracted through oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse. If someone has had any of these types of intercourse it might be a good idea to get tested.

But if you’re not showing any signs of symptoms there’s no need to get tested, right? Wrong, many STDs progress without showing symptoms in certain individuals. While not having any symptoms is a great sign, nevertheless it is probably a good idea to get tested if you’ve had any risky sexual behaviors.

Keep in mind that condoms, when used correctly, do a great job of protecting people against STDs. However, things like herpes that are transmitted through skin-to-skin contact can still be contracted even when using a condom. For that reason you should always be aware of symptoms that may exist where the condom did not cover. Herpes can also be carried orally in the form of a cold sore. While cold sores are common and not something to be worried about, it is important to be aware of them on yourself or on partners because they can transmit the type-1 herpes virus through skin-to-skin contact as well.

Carrying on or starting a relationship with an STD can be difficult or uncomfortable in some situations. A suggestion for getting through this is to be knowledgeable about your STD. The more you know about it, the better you will be able to inform your partners and make smart decisions. If you have a current partner at the time of diagnosis, they should be tested and treated as well for the STD. If the STD is incurable, stay adherent to the medication and make sure you inform any potential partners of your infection before any sexual contact.

If you decide to do some testing, make sure you are open and honest about any symptoms, possible exposures, or recent partners you’ve had when you speak with someone. They use this information to make sure you are doing the right tests at the right time so you don’t receive any false results.

Some final words of wisdom are “treat your body like you treat your toothbrush – don’t share it with everybody… STDs are equal opportunity employers. They don’t discriminate.”

* For the complete article, please visit http://stdtest.com/original-articles/

Posted in Chlamydia, Herpes, Herpes Treatment, HIV and AIDS

CDC Expands HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis Recommendations

Written by Megan on August 13, 2009 — Leave a Comment

A recent article in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report includes some recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for use of post-exposure prophylaxis in people exposed to HIV in a nonoccupational setting.

Similar to the guidelines following occupational exposures, the CDC recommends prophylaxis beginning within 72 hours after the initial exposure with any body fluids from an HIV infected person. If 72 hours has passed after the exposure, the CDC recommends not starting prophylaxis. If the HIV status of the contact person is unknown, but the exposure has an elevated risk the CDC suggests the decision of whether to begin prophylaxis be made on a patient-to-patient basis.

Unfortunately many people are unaware that they are infected with HIV, and because of the 72 hour window period for prophylaxis these people are out of luck when they discover they were exposed. People who benefit the most from prophylaxis are those who know they have been exposed, including sexual assault victims and intravenous drug users.

Some clinicians have fears that people will use post exposure prophylaxis as a “safety net” for unprotected sex, but that is not at all it’s intended purpose.

*For the complete article please refer to https://aboutmyhealth.us/original-articles/

Posted in HIV and AIDS Treatment

Nevirapine Warning on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

Written by Megan on August 13, 2009 — Leave a Comment

HIV-negative persons taking antiretrovirals for postexposure prophylaxis–prevention of infection immediately after a needlestick or sexual exposure to HIV–should avoid using nevirapine except in unusual situations, according to recommendations published in the January 5 MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nevirapine has not been officially recommended for this use, but physicians have used it because of its rapid action and success in preventing mother to infant transmission.

Posted in HIV and AIDS Treatment, HIV Transmission

Condoms Lower the Risk of Herpes

Written by Megan on August 13, 2009 — Leave a Comment

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine based on data from a trial of an experimental HSV-2 vaccine that ultimately failed found that consistent use of condoms can lower both women’s and men’s risk of contracting the virus that causes genital herpes.

The study of more than 1,800 adults considered at high risk of genital herpes because they’d had either an STD or four or more sexual partners in the past year, found that those who said they usually used condoms were one-quarter less likely to test positive for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) than those who usually had unprotected sex.

Overall, just over 6 per cent of the men and women became infected with HSV-2 during the 18-month study period. The findings provide one more reason to use condoms consistently, however, it’s important for people who know they have HSV-2 to avoid sex when they are having a symptom outbreak.

Posted in Herpes

Suspected AIDS Patient Allegedly Spit At Cops

Written by Megan on August 12, 2009 — Leave a Comment

A Cincinnati man, who is thought to be homeless, has been charged with assaulting Cincinnati Police Officers. His weapon of choice… spit. 48-year-old Ronald Crawford was arrested during a fight on East McMillan Street, where he spit at officers, telling them he “had AIDS”.

While the officers believe that Crawford is HIV-positive, they aren’t at any major risk, seeing as how studies have shown that HIV/AIDS is not carried in saliva. Crawford is being charged with two counts of harassment with a bodily substance — a felony.

*To view this article in it’s entirety, please visit https://aboutmyhealth.us/original-articles/

Posted in HIV and AIDS

HCV RNA Tests

Written by Megan on August 11, 2009 — Leave a Comment

The school nurse can serve a variety of functions, from administering first aid to taking temperature to … pregnancy testing?
Starting this fall, the health centers in New York’s Port Chester public school district will begin providing STD and pregnancy testing to requesting students.

Starting this fall, the health centers in New York’s Port Chester public school district — including Port Chester elementary, middle and high schools — will begin providing STD and pregnancy testing to requesting students.

Any student who tests positive for infection or pregnancy can be referred to a nearby off-campus treatment facility.

The proposal was tabled by Open Door Family Medical Centers, which provides the district’s schools with federally funded clinics staffed with nurse practitioners, and the school board passed it last month.

Posted in Hepatitis C

School Board Approves In-House STD and Pregnancy Testing

Written by Megan on August 10, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Any student who tests positive for infection or pregnancy can be referred to a nearby off-campus treatment facility.

Posted in STD Testing

Teens Use Facebook, YouTube to Educate Peers About Sexual Health

Written by Megan on August 10, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Web sites such as YouTube and Facebook have been used with great success to raise public awareness about a variety of issues in the past, perhaps most notably during the 2008 presidential campaigns.

Now, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) has incorporated these new media outlets into an ambitious campaign to educate teenagers about sexually transmitted infections, diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, that affect one out of four sexually active teenagers in the U.S.

Health and new media experts said the BPHC’s viral messaging approach is a step in the right direction but that it needs to be taken to the next level in order to change teenage sexual behavior.

“The underlying principle on this campaign that is different from past campaigns is that if we want to be successful, we need to be youth driven and youth appropriate,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the BPHC, particularly in terms of what venues are most likely to be sought after and seen by adolescents. “They have input into how messages are created that target them. The content is definitely not ours.”
Youth-to-Youth Internet STI Education Efforts

The youth-driven campaign, launched yesterday, utilized an interactive Facebook page where users can post anonymous health questions, YouTube video skits about STIs that also run on the cable channels MTV, BET and FX, advertisements on billboards and buses around Boston, and in-person outreach in the form of public skits performed by youth volunteers.

“In terms of today’s vehicles, you have to meet teens where they’re at,” said Tara Cousineau, a psychologist and founder of bodimojo.com, a health site for teens, citing the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and MTV as popular information disseminators. “The part that is still a challenge is how to get the messages to sink in. … You have to be passing the message along but engaging the kid in the message along the way.”

Cousineau said using interactive Web features such as quizzes that could be completed and forwarded to friends was one way to continue spreading a message.

Posted in Chlamydia

Now, an HIV blocking gel for women

Written by Megan on August 10, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Scientists have developed what some are calling a “molecular condom”. The “condom” is actually a gel that, if used correctly, could help prevent women from contracting HIV.

The gel was developed to “enable women to protect themselves against HIV without approval of their partner”. To use it the woman would only need to insert the gel a few hours before sex. The gel flows easily at the vaginal pH, and becomes more solid as the pH increases to that of semen. As the gel turns solid it traps AIDS virus particles, preventing them from infecting vaginal cells.

Due to several factors, women often have difficulty convincing their partners to use protections; however, with this new gel the woman wouldn’t even have to negotiate. It is a form of protection she can use on her own, without her partner’s knowledge.

If all goes as planned, the scientists estimate the gel will be tested in humans within three to five years, and it will be available in the years after that.

*For the complete article please visit https://aboutmyhealth.us/original-articles/

Posted in HIV and AIDS

The Oral Sex Cancer Connection

Written by Megan on August 10, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Teresa Dillon was surprised to learn four years ago that what she deemed as an average sore throat actually was stage 2 cancer on her tonsil.

“People think the face of oral cancer is a 70-year-old man who’s been chewing tobacco and drinking whiskey all his life,” she said. “But the face of oral cancer now is — it’s me, a young woman, healthy, nonsmoking, fit.”

But what really shocked the waitress and then 38-year-old was that the human papillomavirus may have caused her illness, a illness that is often sexually transmitted.

“It was a virus that caused my tumor, the HPV virus, which just knocked me over,” Dillon said.
The HPV Cancer Connection

Dillon is part of a new trend that’s puzzling scientists. While most HPV infections clear on their own, there is an alarming surge of oral cancers linked to the virus.

Johns Hopkins researchers reported in a study published in February in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that between 1973 and 2004 the incidence of HPV-related oral cancers among people in their 40s nearly doubled. Today more than 34,000 people have oral cancer and 39 percent of those cases are related to HPV, according to data from the American Cancer Society.’

“These are patients that are young. They are in their 30s and 40s. They are nonsmokers, and they don’t drink alcohol excessively. And every time we look we are able to find HPV-16 in their tissue, in the biopsy specimen,” said Dr. Robert Haddad, a Dana Farber Cancer Institute head and neck surgeon.

High-risk HPV strains cause cancer by using special proteins to disrupt healthy cells. It makes cells unable to repair themselves and unable to control how they are duplicated.

The virus is transmitted by direct contact. You only get HPV in the location it attaches to, so it never travels through the bloodstream.

So just exactly how it gets in the mouth may stun you.

“There is absolutely a link between oral sex and oral cancer,” said Dr. Ellen Rome, of the Cleveland Clinic.

Although no proof exists yet, there is a chance that HPV can be transmitted mouth to mouth.

“We can’t rule out the virus could be transmitted in saliva by other types of contact — like for instance sharing a drink or sharing a spoon,” said Dr. Maura Gillison, of Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

And once the virus is in your mouth, you can’t just wash it out. The only way to get rid of it is extensive drug treatment.

For them complete article, please refer to ABC News.

Posted in HIV and AIDS

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Students dismiss the importance of sexual health

CDC Expands HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis Recommendations

Nevirapine Warning on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

Condoms Lower the Risk of Herpes

Suspected AIDS Patient Allegedly Spit At Cops

HCV RNA Tests

School Board Approves In-House STD and Pregnancy Testing

Teens Use Facebook, YouTube to Educate Peers About Sexual Health

Now, an HIV blocking gel for women

The Oral Sex Cancer Connection

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