US immune to 1940s Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing Lawsuit

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The Obama administration stated on Monday that Guatemalans that were unknowing exposed to sexually transmitted diseases by U.S. researchers during the 1940s will not be able to sue the United States.  They say even though they research was unethical the United States is not responsible.

To test the effects of penicillin many Guatemalans were exposed to STDs.  The people were unaware of the testing.  In a response to the lawsuit the Justice Department say that they have sovereign immunity and that protects federal health officials. 

Surge of Gonorrhea Cases in South Dakota

South Dakota Gonorrhea

A state health official for South Dakota said on Wednesday that he is very startled by the data that shows gonorrhea cases in South Dakota for 2011 has surged to the highest levels in a generation.

According to the preliminary data there were 573 cases of the sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhea, in South Dakota last year.  That is the highest number of cases in a single year since 1987.  South Dakota had 468 reports of gonorrhea in the year 2010.

Many factors are contributing to this problem.  Risky behaviors such as multiple sex partners, unprotected sex, younger individuals having sex, among many other factors.  People 24 years old and younger are being affected the most.  Females account for 66% of the cases.

Baby Boomers See Rise in STD Rates

Baby Boomer STD Rates Increase

People who came of age in the 1960s and '70s did so in an era of free love. Even the music blasting from the speakers inside those sweet street machines told them it was ok to have sex anytime, anywhere and with anyone.

Stephen Stills' first solo hit, in 1970, might have put it best: "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with.

Today, it appears that among those "kids" just weren't trained a lot concerning sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs. If the health educator did mention all of them, evidently many ended up resting in the course of class.

Can A STD Make You Smell Different?

A new study has found that gonorrhea infected men males smelled "putrid" to young women in the study.  Could smelling your partner really reveal a sexual health problem?

From the most recent issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine a professor at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Russia named Mikhail Moshkin wrote “Our research revealed that infection disease reduces odor attractiveness in humans …”.

The subtle smell may be as simple as a chemical warning that anything close to a solid scent.  But according to this research it definitely has an affect.

It has been known that in animals such as mice and lab rats they will not be attracted to other animals infected with disease.  It was wondered whether with would apply in human beings.

34 Russians males between the ages of 17 to 25 participated in the study.  They donated samples of armpit sweat and spit for the research.  The group of men included 13 men with gonorrhea, 16 were healthy and 5 had the disease but were successfully treated.

They found 18 females to fill the role of sniffers of sexual science.  Sound great huh?

The results were that the women do not like the smell of men infected.  50% of the women described the smell as "putrid".

Alaska Gonorrhea rates down but STDs Rates Still High

Gonorrhea is an epidemic that's plagued the state for many years. State health officials say the numbers for gonorrhea are down considerably compared to previous years. But Alaska's rates are still amongst the highest in the country, which is why wellness care workers say the issue is as significant now as ever before. Honestly when you ask most people about gonorrhea, you may get a laugh, or somebody who doesn't seriously know significantly about it: a scary believed for Alaska’s well being care experts who say we should care due to the fact it could have an effect on our bodies, our babies, the capability to have babies and our overall future.

Gonorrhea testing can be found through premium STD testing centers that provide the quickest results in the field. Testing is done at a private laboratory and all the administrative work is taken care of by the testing provider.

Officials do not know the precise cause for the decline, but say it is a mixture of providers and patients receiving the news concerning the dangers and doing one thing about it. Websites with information such as STDTesting.md provide reports and statistics on STD testing and how you can find testing in your local city. Health clinics like planned parenthood say they deliver testing, treatment and education everyday. Although gonorrhea is curable, it's a major deal simply because if you have one std, chances are you have got an additional. And if they are not dealt with, they could cause serious harm to your body or your future young children. Health officials say being vigilant is significant because even though this year's 770 situations is a 23% decease, Alaskans aren't out of the woods.

The most common Sexually transmitted disease linked with gonorrhea is chlamydia and can be treated easily and cheaply. But if it doesn't get addressed in 3 months it could cause both men and females to be infertile - sad situations when persons wish to have babies learn they can't because they did not get treated instantly. Officials say easy things like practicing safe sex perform, and in the event you believe or know you've been exposed to an Sexually transmitted disease to go get tested and taken care of. They even have what is named expedited partner therapy where sexual partners can get treatment without going to a provider.

A way we can all help is to get tested for gonorrhea and fight against the spread of these harmful sexally transmitted diseases. Your sexual health is very important and getting tested for gonorrhea is a part of your sexual health profile. The only way to know your gonorrhea free is to get tested.

Online Dating Linked to Increase in Sexually Transmitted Diseases

A boost in sexually transmitted diseases may possibly be connected to the speedy world of web dating.

"With online dating, you don’t have to spend a week in a bar to find somebody you’re comfortable with. People are doing it online and they’re doing it faster," St Louis Director of Health Pam Walker just recently said to CSB News.

"[Say you have] two people who know they are HIV positive feel like they can have sex without a condom, because they’re already infected. [But] what they are [really] doing is giving each other syphilis.”

To be certain, chlamydia increased 3% , syphilis increased by 46%, gonorrhea increased 31% in the Saint Louis area. Nevertheless, Walker remarks the upsurges really aren't related to any reductions in health department budget.

"I have not cut communicable disease control in the five years that I’ve been director," Walker stated.

Funding increases have not yet been make by Walker, but indicates that lowering sexually transmitted diseases could be a costly public policy issue that nobody wants to deal with.

"If I put 20 disease investigators in the field and they followed those 55 people around who have syphilis, could I probably get rid of it?" Walker questioned. "Yeah, but that would cost about $400,000."

Therefore, Walker is certainly requesting the help of private providers together with local community STD testing clinics so that she will be able to discover the sexual partners of persons with known STDs. She refers to a brand new law within her state. Expedited Partner Therapy law, that allows STD Testing clincis to disperse a sufficient amount of anti-biotics to a recognized carrier of chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis so that she can start treating their sex partners.

"If you have gonorrhea, then your partner probably has gonorrhea," Walker said. "I need to talk to that partner and find out if they have three other partners, or we never break the chain."

Walker is mostly worried about the rise in chlamydia since it displays virtually no signs or symptoms, and in case of women don’t address it, it can cause them to become infertile. As a result of info through the CDC, Walker estimates that 1 in 3 women in her community might have the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia.

When considering internet dating, steady but slow remains the best path to take. For those who are concerned about your sexual health.