Miami Herald (MH) - Saturday, March 14, 1998

Though overshadowed for many years in the public consciousness by HIV and AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases have not been dormant. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they quietly have been rampaging at a near-epidemic pace. The CDC wants to foster new prevention methods. Good.

The shame is that gonorrhea and syphilis are treatable, curable diseases. Herpes is not curable -- and it is spreading at an alarming rate. In a report released last October, the CDC said that one in five Americans 12 or older was infected with genital herpes, which can be passed from mother to fetus. That's a 30 percent increase over 20 years.

Some diseases display few, if any, outward symptoms. If left untreated, they can cause neurological damage; and people who don't know that they have a sexually transmitted disease put others at risk -- sexual partners or unborn children. Then there's this: People with syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, or herpes are two to five times as likely as others to become infected with HIV.

South Florida hasn't been immune to the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases. Greater Miami has one of the highest rates of AIDS in the country. It's curious, however, that CDC statistics show that the area has a low rate of the other diseases relative to comparable communities.

This could be an indication that the health department's notification program is working. Most are "reportable" diseases. That is, public clinics and private physicians by law must report any case of HIV, AIDS, gonorrhea, or syphilis that they find. The health department then attempts to contact the patient's sexual partners and get them treatment if they have been infected.

The numbers tell a mixed story: In Miami-Dade County there were 3,138 cases of gonorrhea in 1995; 2,283 in 1996; and 2,083 in 1997. There were 62 cases of syphilis in 1995; 32 in 1996; and 48 in 1997. In Broward, there were 2,131 cases of gonorrhea in 1995; 1,619 in 1996; 1,375 in 1997. There were 39 cases of infectious syphilis in 1995; 29 in 1996; 27 in 1997.

Yet herpes, which is spreading like wildfire, is not a reportable disease in Florida. It's likely that this lapse skews the statistics, making them appear more optimistic than is warranted. That's not smart -- or safe.

Next year the CDC will change drastically the way that it distributes its prevention funding to the states, according to The New York Times. Each health department will have to demonstrate how it plans to draw community partners into the fight against sexually transmitted diseases. It's right -- and imperative -- to foster the same kind of cooperation among the agencies and organizations that AIDS advocates long ago established.
980314
MH980303

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1998. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1998. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .