Health
SMARTER SEX
How Careful Are You?
by M.K. Allison
My friend was crying so when she called me that I could barely make out what she was saying. She had just come home from visiting the doctor’s office and had discovered that she was HIV positive. She blamed her diagnosis on a guy she’d been seeing for a while whom she suspected was bi-sexual. However, she had opted not to end the relationship because of her “deep attachment” to him.
These days when I meet a guy who has the potential to be a serious love-interest, I have strict rules that I live by. Because I’m prone to attract con men, (I have met several in the past two years) I now ask to see a valid driver’s license, a checkbook with a home address, and a doctor’s statement regarding their HIV/STD status.
My experience so far, has been that most men find my demands amusing, where others allow their egos to convince them to be offended. However, I remain staunch in my conviction to obtain some valid indication that these guys are who they say they are, especially as it relates to doctor statements and health history.
I’ve had a STD before, and I don’t plan to ever experience that again.
Just how much do you know about your partner's sex habits.
While AIDS has infected more women in the African-American community than any other ethnic group, herpes continues to spread as well. There are over 40 million documented cases of herpes running rampantly through our communities according to the American Social Health Association and there are most likely many cases that have not been reported.
One woman got herpes from her husband, according to The New York Times. She was awarded $630,000, which her husband of 24 years was forced to pay due to his negligence. The money may help pay the ongoing medical bills, but it can’t ease the pain – personal, psychological, social or physical.
The symptoms for herpes include burning and itching accompanied by blisters and rashes. It can also cause re-occurring sores around and in your mouth and/or the genital area for the rest of your life. Although the sores may come and go after intervals of being dormant, the herpes virus is said to continuously reside in the spine in between outbreaks. In some cases, herpes has also been known to infect the eyes and areas of the brain. There is also documentation of the virus causing inflammation in the brain and central nervous system, according to an article in the World News Digest.
“Studies show that herpes is well entrenched in the U.S., although its presence is probably not noticed by many of those infected,” according to an article in the World News Digest. The rate of infection is noted as being higher among blacks – 41%, compared to whites – 13%, which varied depending on age classifications.
Herpes continues to spread because many people don’t have regular checkups or they don’t have suspicious symptoms diagnosed by a doctor. Secondly, many have been taught that only when the visible sores and overt symptoms are present that the virus could be transmitted to a sexual partner, but scientists strongly refute this widespread belief. Today, they contend that herpes is continuously infectious, whether or not the carrier has symptoms or sores. The STD Hotline confirmed that the infection can be transmitted during “asymptomatic shedding” which means there are no visible symptoms at that time. Another erroneous belief is that people who contract Type 1 herpes which appears on the mouth only, is immune to Type 2 herpes which appears on the genitals only. The STD Hotline response was that both herpes Type 1 and 2 can be contracted and transmitted sexually, and both can result in genital and mouth sores. Furthermore, Type 1 and 2 are not mutually exclusive.
Risky sex is like Russian roulette; you could catch AIDS or maybe you’ll get “lucky” and only catch herpes! Or Gonorrhea! Or hepatitis B! Or syphilis! Or trichomonas!
But my partner is clean – they take baths all the time, is perhaps what you’re thinking to yourself, but an STD has nothing to do with how often someone washes their body. You can’t wash away an STD. You also can’t look at someone’s appearance or hygiene habits and determine if they have an STD. Remember people can have STD’s and not even know it themselves.
Don’t be too quick to speculate with a new partner until that person has seen a medical doctor.
For additional information about STD’s Herpes or AIDS, call the CDC/Center for Disease Control Hotline at 1-888-232-4636, which provides free literature upon request.
