June 30th, 2008 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
Most of us know someone who’s dated online. With the explosion of internet dating and the (possibly related) prevelence of sexually transmitted infections, it’s delightful to see someone take the opportunity to use technology to improve reproductive health care in a less traditional way. This article, published in the Minneapolis StarTribune, Josephine Marcotty talks to University of Minnesota developers about the website and why they think it will work. “Web May Hold Key to Fighting New HIV Wave”, is a fascinating read about the possibilities open to us through the internet. I look forward to seeing the results of their project in the future.
No Comments • Posted in: STIs
May 27th, 2008 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is up for renewal. This article, published in the Boston Globe, demonstrates Congess could help increase the effectiveness of this funding. In “Global AIDS Policy and Women’s Health”, Pat Daoust explains how the Global Gag Rule has stunted the success of AIDS prevention initiatives in Africa and what Congress could do about it.
No Comments • Posted in: Policy, STIs
May 22nd, 2008 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. Every year about this time, we take a moment to talk about pregnancy as a consequence of unprotected or underprotected sexual activity. In “The Silent Epidemic”, Lisa Kaiser of The Shepherd Express takes a look at the prevelence of sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates among teens in the Milwaukee area. Ms. Kaiser rightly points out in her article that while many were shocked when it came out that 1 in 4 teen girls in the United States has an STI, the numbers can be higher in our backyard.
No Comments • Posted in: STIs
March 27th, 2008 • Contributed by Sue Kettner
I found this article to be very thought-provoking especially after listening to the recent podcast on HIV. Sue
DAILY WOMEN’S HEALTH POLICY REPORT
OPINION | CDC Study on Rate of Common STIs Among Girls, Young Women ‘Already Old’ to Public Health Workers, Opinion Piece Says
[March 21, 2008]
Recent findings from a CDC study that about 25% of U.S. girls and young women ages 14 to 19 have at least one of four common sexually transmitted infections is “already old” news for public health workers, Robert Fullilove, associate dean at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Adaora Adimora, associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Peter Leone of the North Carolina Division of Public Health write in a Washington Post opinion piece. They add that public health workers “fear this latest study will have its 15 minutes in the spotlight and also fade from view,” just like a similar study released more than 10 years ago by the Institute of Medicine did.
“Despite the huge costs that [STIs] imposed on our health care system, awareness of their importance was all but absent from the public consciousness” when the IOM study was released, the authors write. They add that the “national silence” on STIs might be associated with the country’s “difficulty discussing the roles that race and poverty play in these trends.” The “taboo” of talking about sexual behavior, poverty and race is one “obvious reason” rates of STIs remain high, the authors write, adding, another is “that the incidence of [STIs], particularly HIV, is concentrated in poor, segregated neighborhoods that are characterized by high rates of incarceration.” The “shift” in marriage and courtship patterns that result from men being incarcerated, as well as an increase in the number of “multiple concurrent sexual partnerships,” also are contributing to the problem, according to the authors.
STIs cost the U.S. “tens of billions of dollars” annually, “but with the exception of HIV infection, [STIs] remain the elephant in the room when it comes to the national conversation about health and health care,” the authors write. They add, “We can no longer have effective [STI] prevention campaigns in poor communities of color if they treat one person at a time or ignore social conditions underpinning high rates of HIV and other” STIs. “Simply put, we will never rid the U.S. of HIV and other [STIs] if our only weapon is medical treatment,” the authors write, concluding, “And if we are unable to engage in a national dialogue about the sexual health of our youths and the social dynamics that drive [STIs], this epidemic will go largely ignored, and many more lives will be lost” (Fullilove et al., Washington Post, 3/21).
No Comments • Posted in: STIs
February 4th, 2008 • Contributed by Frances Irwin
The New Zealand Family Planning Program is totally cool. Every year Valentine’s Day comes and goes and everyone catches a little bit of the love bug. In the United States, we try to discourage infections caused by the love bug by celebrating National Condom Week. In addition to celebrate National Condom Week, I think we should follow New Zealand’s lead by making sure our relationships are healthy and safe. Check out their news release on Scoop Culture for more information http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0802/S00007.htm.
No Comments • Posted in: STIs, Birth Control
