STD AWARENESS MONTH
Editorial / Non-Fiction / Informational
It’s time for another set of announcements from the CDC. The Center for Disease Control reports: “April is Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Awareness month, an annual observance to call attention to the impact of STDs and to promote STD testing across the country. Adolescents and young adults are particularly vulnerable to STDs. In fact, young people between 15 and 24 years of age account for nearly half of all STD cases.
Healthcare providers can make a difference by educating young patients about sexual health and STD prevention. The following resources are designed to assist healthcare providers in talking to young people about the subject of STDs.”
I will just refer you to the CDC site for videos and other information that could save your life, save you some embarrassment or just spare you future grief concerning your health and longevity.
STD’s don’t just impact youngsters, older folks in their 30’s to 90’s get STD’s also. You have got to ‘inventory’ your ass and get checked regularly for STD’s (Don’t assume marriage insulates you from STD’s…ask your partner) surprises usually come from assumptions.
What do I mean by ‘inventory’ your ass?
According to Dr. Gail Bolan, Director of the Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the following information is what you need to do or have a Doctor do for you.
It goes as follows:
Take a sexual history. Taking a sexual history is an important part of any clinic visit and provides a more complete picture of your patient's health and disease risk. A sexual history allows you to identify appropriate anatomical sites for examination and specimen collection. It also provides you with an opportunity to discuss sexual health and risk behaviors with your patients.
If you’re a patient be very honest and direct about your sexual activities and number of sex partners.
If you’re a Doctor: When conducting a sexual history with a patient, it is important to:
• Ask about the number of male and/or female partners they have had.
• Ask specific questions about the sites of sexual contact, such as receptive anal sex or insertive oral sex, and if a condom was used. For example, you might ask "Did you have anal intercourse?" If yes, "Was it receptive or insertive and was a condom used?"
• Ask straight-forward and open-ended questions about sexual behavior using formal language rather than slang. To normalize the conversation, emphasize to your patient that you ask these questions to all of your patients to provide the best care possible.
• Avoid assumptions and judgment, ensure confidentiality, and always ask permission to note sexual orientation and gender identity in the medical chart. For example, marriage does not guarantee monogamy, or that the individual is exclusively heterosexual. A man who identifies himself as "straight" may be having sex with other men.
• Describe what screening tests will be done and why, and how the patient will be notified of screening test results.
Additional questions should be considered for assessing a patient's HIV and hepatitis risks. At the end of this page are links to some excellent resources. Screen according to CDC recommended intervals.
Annual screening for HIV (in uninfected patients) and for bacterial STDs, such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, is recommended for all sexually active MSM (Men Sex with Men).
More frequent screening is indicated for MSM who are at higher risk, such as those who have multiple or anonymous partners, those who have sex in conjunction with illicit drug use (such as methamphetamine), and those who have drug-using partners; these higher-risk MSM should be screened every 3-6 months.
• Screen at exposed sites. For MSM who have had receptive anal intercourse in the past year, CDC recommends rectal screening for gonorrhea and chlamydia. For MSM who have had receptive oral intercourse, CDC recommends screening for oropharyngeal gonorrhea but not chlamydia because of the low prevalence of oropharyngeal chlamydia infection. For MSM who have only had insertive intercourse, CDC recommends a urine specimen to test for urethral gonorrhea and chlamydia.
No matter how sexually active you are or aren’t, straight, gay, bisexual or just plain freaky you owe it to yourself, let alone everyone you have had sex with, to get checked out.
You might not love anyone, you just may be a sex fiend, you still need to get checked out because it is the most right thing to do. There are free clinics in each state that will not ask questions about status or income. This is about your life, don’t let it be about your death.
Remember, HIV/AIDS, HPV (Human Papillomavirus) and PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) are only four of the 25 different kinds of STD’s human beings can currently contract worldwide. Get checked, ‘inventory your ass’. Remember, it (ass, penis, vagina or mouth) can look good, smell good and taste good, but when you got genital warts in your throat, remember what you read here.
Happy STD AWARENESS MONTH
Citations and Resources:
RJ
this is scary. you need to blog about funny stuff. this is really alarming. i wonder, who doesn't have an STD? if you had an STD would you tell?
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