US immune to 1940s Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing Lawsuit

Guatemalan Flag

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. 

No Love in Nebraska For STDs

Vintage STD Propaganda Poster

Lets just say you live in Nebraska and you want to get married.  Great news!  There is just one catch your partner has Syphilis.  Well that changes everything and now atleast in Nebraska you cannot get married.

In the state of Nebraska you cannot get married if you have a venereal disease.  The law is very straight forward and obviously outdated.  So if I read this right that means you have to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases to get a marriage license.

I wonder about the person or people that passed this law.  Maybe they got burned once or twice in their time.

Christopher Columbus Tied to Syphilis

Christopher Columbus Syphilis

There are stories going around the web today that says Christopher Columbus was responsible for the spread of Syphilis.

A brand new look at the origins of syphilis support the theory that the STD was carried over to Europe by traveling on Christopher Columbus' ships as they sailed home from their trip.

The Emory University researchers say that the sexually transmitted disease was not spread by sexual contact but adapted to survive once it got to Europe.

The researchers poured over data of skeletal evidence in 54 published reports and found that syphilis did not exist in Europe until after Columbus made his voyage to the New World in the year 1492.

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.