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Herpes:
The Most Common Sexually Transmitted Disease
Genital
herpes
It
is estimated that some 30 million American have genital herpes with
some 800,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Herpes infections are
triggered by the herpes virus, from the troublesome family that can
cause genital lesions, cold sores, chicken pox, shingles, and perhaps
even cancer. Type I herpes causes cold sores around the mouth. Type
II is transmitted through intercourse, but it can infect the mouth
during oral sex. About the only positive thing can be said about
herpes is that it is not deadly. But it is chronic. Once the virus
gets in, it finds a permanent home in the nervous system where it
lies quietly for a period of time, only to break out periodically
and cause painful sores. A breakout can be triggered by stress (or
in the case of cold sores, exposure to sunlight), or it can be triggered
by nothing at all.
A
few days after infection, flu-like symptoms may appear along with fever,
swollen glands, pains in the legs and abdomen, and painful blisters
and sores on the genitals or mouth. These sores contain the virus and
it is when they are present that infection is gone and, most likely,
may be transmitted even when no symptoms are present.
When
newborns acquire herpes, they frequently develop neurological complications
such as permanent brain damage, seizures, and mental retardation. More
than a third born with these serious complications will die.
Herpes is a viral infection, so it can not be treated with antibiotics.
Acylovir (Zovirax), which comes in ointment and oral forms may ease
symptoms and prevent outbreaks, but it is not a cure.
More than one of every six Americans has it,
yet most suffer in silence.
Quick
Quiz: What's the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United
States?
If you answered AIDS or syphilis or even gonorrhea, you missed by a
very wide margin—almost 30 million. Each year, about 1,100,000
people get gonorrhea, and 120,000 are diagnosed with syphilis, both
of which can be cured. Approximately 1,000,000 people carry the incurable
and deadly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and between 140,000 and
168,000 have AIDS.
Those are serious numbers, but the prevalence of genital herpes—which,
like AIDS, is also incurable—far outranks them. The virus resides
in the bodies of at least one out of every six American adults. What's
more, perhaps as many as 70 percent of those who carry and can transmit
herpes are unaware they have it. You can get herpes from someone who
has never noticed a symptom.
Unlike AIDS, herpes is rarely life threatening. (It can be deadly to
the newborn, and it has been linked to cervical cancer in women and
the likelihood of getting AIDS.) But herpes can be emotionally devastating;
I hear the anguish over and over again.
A recent survey conducted by the American Social Health Association
found that 65 percent of people with herpes worry about being judged
negatively by a friend or acquaintance. On first being diagnosed, more
than two-thirds quarters suffer from depression, fear of rejection,
and feelings of isolation. And even years after they have contracted
the disease, more than half of people with herpes continue to suffer
from depression and struggle with fear of rejection every time they
meet someone new.
The survey also made it clear that many people with herpes are not receiving
adequate support. More than a third rated their doctors poor or fair
in advising on emotional issues, being supportive, and discussing their
sex lives.
In the case of an illness that can't be cured and has only limited treatment
options, emotional support may be the most significant care a physician
can offer. If you're one of the more than 31 million Americans with
herpes, don't settle for a prescription for acyclovir, a drug that helps
control the disease. Demand more.
To learn more, call the National Herpes Hotline at 919-361-8488.
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