UO Student Health center
13th and Agate • 686-4441
MORE THAN LOVE
IS SWEEPING THE COUNTRY
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR HEALTH CENTER
THE STD EPIDEMIC
H’a widely asumed that ‘nice people’ don’t
get STO’a.
Yet the fact remains that sexually transmit
ted diseases (STD's) are the most widespread
communicable diseases monitored by the
U S. Government. According to the Centers
for Disease Control in Atlanta. STD's are
more common than measles, chicken pox,
mumps and tuberculosis combined. They
strike millions of Americans each year...and
the effects can be devastating if left
untreated.
What are STD’s?
They are a group of contagious infections
that are spread almost entirely by sexual con
tact. Until recently, the common name for
STD’s was venereal disease or VD. And most
people were only aware of syphilis and gonor
rhea. But today, we know that STD's encom
pass a much broader variety of specific
illnesses.
A person could conceivably get an STD
from an object or surface infected by a carrier
of the disease. But this is highly unlikely.
With the exception of viral hepatitis, the
microorganisms that cause STD's are ex
tremely fragile and cannot survive long out
side the human body.
Doctors classify about 25 separate condi
tions as sexually transmitted disease, but the
vast majority of cases result from six major
illnesses.
AIDS
Thirty-thousand cases of AIDS (Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome) have been
reported since the disease was recognized in
the U.S. in 1981. This rapid spread-plus the
high mortality rate-have made AIDS one of the
most dreaded STD's.
AIDS is caused by a virus that attacks the
immune system, the body's natural defenses
against disease. As a result, AIDS victims are
susceptible to recurrent illnesses including
pneumonia and unusual diseases rarely seen
in healthy individuals.
The AIDS virus is most often spread by sex
ual contact, but it can also be passed by in
fected hypodermic needles and con
taminated blood transfusions.
AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease that
is reaching epidemic proportions in Oregon.
This disease does not discriminate on the
basis of sexual orientation and ALL SEXUAi.
LY ACTIVE PERSONS are at risk. According
to the State of Oregon Health Diviaion, en
couraging the uae of condoma la one of the
most Important ways we can slow the spread
of the diseaae In our atate.
At present there is no cure for AIDS, and
more than 70 percent of the cases prove fatal
within two years of diagnosis.
CHLAMYDIA
Chlamydia strikes at least three million
Americans each year, making this bacterial
infection the most widespread STD.
In males, chlamydia causes an inflamma
tion of the urethra, the tube that carries urine
from the bladder. If left untreated, it can
cause arthritis and sterility. In women,
chlamydia will infect the cervix or fallopian
tubes which can lead to pelvic inflammatory
disease (200,000 cases per year), as well as
ectopic or tubal pregnancies and sterility. In
addition, chlamydia can be passed from an in
fected woman to her child during birth
resulting in an estimated 125,000 cases of in
fant chlamydia each year.
The danger of chlamydia is that it often pro
duces no symptoms or is mistaken for
another STD, such as gonorrhea. As a result,
some victims never seek treatment or are
treated for the wrong disease. The Health
Center can test for chlamydia and treat this
infection.
GONORRHEA
A major threat in the present epidemic of
STD's, gonorrhea strikes from one to three
million Americans every year. That translates
to a new infection ever 12 seconds.
Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection that may
lead to severe inflammation of the urinary
tract in men. In women it can result in inflam
mation of the reproductive organs and poten
tially lead to sterility. Or it may spread to
other parts of the body, resulting in crippling
arthritis and liver damage.
The danger of severe complications from
gonorrhea is greatest for women, since the
early stages of the disease may produce no
visible symptoms. Medical experts estimate
that pelvic inflammatory disease, the most
common complication of gonorrhea, afflicts
275.000 women each year, threatening them
with abnormal pregnancies and sterility. The
Health Center can test and treat for this
Infection.
GENITAL HERPES
An estimated 500,000 Americans get this
disease every year. Genital herpes is usually
caused by herpes simplex virus type 2, a
relative of the virus that causes the common
cold sore. No cure has been found for it. It
lives in a person for the rest of his or her life,
causing periodic eruptions of painful sores
on the genitals. Herpes is most contagious
when the sores are present and continues to
be contagious until the sores are completely
healed. While the long term effects of herpes
are not yet known, there is evidence linking it
to an increased risk of cervical cancer and to
serious birth defects. For diagnosis tftg
Health Center has a culture test for heroes
VIRAL HEPATITIS
Health officials estimate that 500,000 new
cases of viral hepatitis occur each year. An in
flammation of the liver, it can lead to chronic
liver disease and sometimes can be fatal.
There are several forms of hepatitis caused
by different viruses. All forms can be spread
in nonsexual ways, such as contaminated
water, food, and blood transfusions.
However, sexual contact has been identified
as one of the most common means of
transmission for two types of viral
hepatitis — hepatitis B and non-A, non-B
hepatitis.
SYPHILIS
Once the most dreaded STD due to its
disastrous long term effects, syphilis caused
14.000 deaths in 1940. The mortality figure
has since dropped below 200 per year, thanks
to massive screening and treatment efforts.
Caused by a spirochete, a type of
bacterium, syphilis attacks the nervous and
cardiovascular systems and may lead to
paralysis, blindness, insanity, disfiguration
and eventual death. The disease can cause
serious birth defects by damaging the skin,
bone, eyes and liver of the fetus.
Perhaps the most dangerous thing about
syphilis is the lack of serious symptoms early
in the disease and the long period of time
(one to 20 years) before serious and perma
nent damage to organs occurs.
WHO IS AT RISK OF
GETTING AN STD?
Anyone who is sexually active is at some
risk of infection. However, certain lifestyles
expose some people to much greater risk
than others. Celibate or monogamous
lifestyles are the safest. On the other hand,
frequent sexual contact with many different
partners is a major risk factor for exposure to
all types of STD'S.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF
YOU HAVE AN STD?
That’s the major obstacle to controlling
STD's. Many victims don’t even know they are
infected, because symptoms are mild or non
existent. The AIDS virus causes no symptoms
during an incubation period which can last 6
years or longer. Gonorrhea often produces no
symptoms in women, except vaginal itching
or discharge. Chlamydia may cause only
minor burning or discomfort during urination.
Viral hepatitis may cause only mild fatigue
and fever. The symptoms of herpes may be
mistaken for other types of skin rashes.
If your sexual partner is diagnosed as hav
ing an STD, you may be infected, too. See a
physician for a checkup, even if you have no
symptoms.
HOW CAN STD’S
BE CONTROLLED?
As long as there is sexual contact between
humans, there will be the potential to spread
STD’s. However, health officials recommend
a number of steps for controlling these
diseases.
EARLY MEDICAL TESTING.
If you think you have an STD, get a
diagnosis immediately from your physician or
at the Health Center. Tests for STD’s are sim
ple. inexpensive, fast, and relatively painless.
However, they are not generally included in a
routine medical examination. You have to ask
for them. Particularly if you are a women
(since female symptoms of gonorrhea and
chlamydia are so often mild), be sure that STD
tests are included in your regular medical
checkups. At the health Center, the routine
aap test Includes a screen for chiamvdia and
gonorrhea.
APPROPRIATE TREATMENT
If an STD test is positive, various types of
treatment are available. In most cases, gonor
rhea can be cured with penicillin or
erythromycin. Tetracycline and erythromycin
are effective against chlamydia, while
penicillin works against syphilis.
Scientists have not yet developed a cure
for herpes, viral hepatitis, or AIDS.
PREVENTION
The use of condoms by males can reduce
the chances of catching or transmitting
STD’s. On the other hand, use of birth control
pills does not prevent the spread of STD's.
Persons who know they have an STD
should consult with their physician or the
Health Center before resuming sexual rela
tions. And everyone can adopt a lifestyle that
lowers his or her STD risk. This includes
refraining from sex with many partners, and
avoiding sex with partners who do not take
precautions such as using condoms.
* Information provided by the Health Center
and from a pamphlet by Abbot Laboratories.