In War on STDs, NC Tries New Weapon: Bribery

CDC recommends alternate test

(NEWSER) - You have syphilis. OK, maybe not. That's the experience hundreds of people may have suffered thanks to inconsistencies in the dominant syphilis test, USA Today reports. Some 18% of people who tested positive since the 1980s were actually free of the disease, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends a second testing method—but doesn't have nationwide figures for how prevalent the faulty method is. More»

Men on Viagra, Cialis may be more likely to engage in unsafe sex

(NEWSER) - Viagra and Cialis users are far more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases than men who don't take ED meds, BusinessWeek reports . Using analysis of insurance records for 1.4 million men over 40, researchers found patients on ED drugs were 2.8 times more likely to be treated for STDs than those who weren't. "These users have a different sexual risk profile than non-users," said the lead researcher. More»

Pilot program found that 13% of youths had chlamydia, gonorrhea

(NEWSER) - All DC high school students will be offered testing for sexually-transmitted diseases, the Washington Post reports. The move follows a pilot program at eight schools last year in which 13% of 3,000 students tested positive for STDs, mostly chlamydia and gonorrhea. The new plan says students must watch a lecture about STDs, which make sufferers more susceptible to HIV, but can choose not to be tested. More»

Figures raise concerns after positive trends

(NEWSER) - After declining in 1991-2005, the US teen birth rate climbed in 2006 and 2007, HealthDay News reports. Crunching numbers from 2002-07, the Centers for Disease Control found a number of trends had flatlined or worsened after a period of improvement.

• 2004 saw 745,000 pregnancies among females under 20, including 16,000 among girls 10 to 14 years old.
• One-third of adolescents had no birth-control education before age 18.

Cases are on the rise, doctors not spotting the symptoms

(NEWSER) - Health researchers have warned that syphilis is making a comeback, and doctors may not be recognizing the symptoms. Developed countries came closing to wiping out the disease in the '90s, Reuters reports, but infection rates in the US went up last year for the seventh year in a row. A study published in the journal Lancet urges authorities to move fast to educate the public—and doctors—about the disease. More»