Talk to your teen about risks of getting an STD or AIDS

Our society moves so fast. Fifteen minutes is our attention span and then we've moved on. Remember our focus on the swine flu and all the hand sanitizer? Without an immediate epidemic, we moved on.

In the meantime, AIDS and STDs have been quietly holding their ground. While the statistics on STDs show we're making progress, the reality is AIDS is thriving. We let our focus shift and we better move it back - and fast.
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In the recent past, most new HIV cases were being reported in persons over age 35. Now it's those under age 35.

Senate approves revised version of STD bill

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. —
A proposed law on its way to the governor's desk would allow some people with sexually transmitted diseases to treat themselves with an antibiotic, even if they don't seek medical treatment.Under the practice, called "expedited partner therapy," medical professionals who treat an individual for gonorrhea or chlamydia also may give the patient a single-dose antibiotic to pass along to his or her sexual partner. The idea is to prevent partners from re-infecting one another after one of them seeks medical attention. Expedited partner therapy will curb the spread of STDs, which have become a growing problem in Peoria and elsewhere in Illinois, said Sen. David Koehler, D- Peoria, who is the bill's sponsor.But an opponent, Sen. Dave Syverson, R- Rockford, believes antibiotics shouldn't be made available to anyone who hasn't visited a physician or another medical professional. He said he's particularly worried about how the measure would affect young people."This legislation would allow teen-agers – 13, 14, 15 – to get drugs and go out and give them to their sexual partners. The concern is it sends the wrong message, that this somehow addresses the issue of sexual diseases," Syverson said. "I think everyone ought should see a medical professional so they can at least get the warnings of those kinds of activities, especially for these young kids."Syverson was one of three senators to vote against the legislation, Senate Bill 212, on Wednesday. It passed on a 54-3 roll call. An earlier version of the legislation passed in the Senate earlier this year. But the House of Representatives revised the measure before approving it, a move that required the Senate to sign off on the changes before sending the bill to Gov. Pat Quinn. With his signature, the bill would become law.One of the House revisions spells out that health-care professionals who choose not to provide expedited partner therapy may not be penalized for that decision.

How to Tell Your Partner About an STD

You're diagnosed with an STD and faced with alerting your sexual partner. It's a very important obligation to fulfill as soon as you know there's an issue, says Mary McFarlane, a research behavioral scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of STD Prevention. When just an E-card won't do, here's how you can ease the stress of a face-to-face discussion:

"Summit Looks for Ways to Curb District’s Spiraling HIV/AIDS Rates"

On May 4 at the District of Columbia Black AIDS Leadership Mobilization Summit, participants discussed ways to respond to HIV/AIDS in Washington. About two months ago, the District’s Department of Health reported that 3 percent of all D.C. residents were known to be living with HIV/AIDS. More than 4 percent of the District’s black residents have HIV, including 6.5 percent of black men.

Got unhappy STD news? Break it with an e-card

Breaking up over e-mail is a social no-no. But sending an e-card telling someone to get tested for STDs may be a public health courtesy. Since 2004, a free Web site, inSpot.org has allowed users to anonymously notify their partners to get tested for STDs such as HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis. It may not be the most personal way of delivering the news, but researchers say it beats not saying anything at all. "When you weigh the importance of getting people notified, that's ultimately what needs to be done," said Jeffrey D. Klausner, director of STD Prevention and Control Services in San Francisco, California's Department of Public Health. "By notifying them -- even if it's done anonymously, even distantly, even with an e-card -- the benefits of getting someone diagnosed and treated outweigh the concerns of insensitivity."

Cases Of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea Up In Utah Since 2003, Health Dept. Finds

The number of chlamydia cases increased by 50% and the number of gonorrhea cases nearly doubled in Utah between 2003 and 2007, according to a report released Thursday by the state Department of Health, the AP/KUTV.com reports. Many men and women experience no symptoms from chlamydia infections. Chlamydia, which can lead to fertility problems if untreated, is more than three times more likely to be reported in women than in men. The report found that more than 70% of chlamydia cases in the state occurred among women ages 15 to 24. Some men experience symptoms from gonorrhea, but most women do not. More men than women in Utah were diagnosed with gonorrhea. According to the new report, chlamydia was the most frequently reported communicable disease in the Utah in 2007 with 5,721 cases, while gonorrhea was the fourth most-reported with 821 cases.