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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 1976)
Page 6 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1976 Most sexually transmitted diseases are curable e Health officials answer questions about VD Q. What serious communicable disease occurs most frequently in the 15-24 age group? A. Gonorrhea (clap); 70 per cent of the 76,486 cases reported in Texas last year occurred in that age group. Approximately 428 girls are absent from school each day with serious complications from gonorrhea, cal led “pelvic inflammatory disease” or PID. Q. How would one know if he/she had gonorrhea? A. . . .A man usually has a burning pain when urinating, ac companied by a discharge of pus from his penis, about 2-6 days after sexual contact with an infected per son. Some men have no obvious symptoms, however. . A woman may have an in creased vaginal discharge, but usu ally has no symptoms and can un knowingly spread the infection to others. This is also why her infection often progresses into PID. Q. What may happen if gonorrhea remains untreated? A. In a man: sterility; possible in fection of the prostate gland and tes ticles; scarring which can obstruct the flow of urine, causing kidney and bladder damage. In a woman: PID can scar the Fal lopian tubes, causing either inability to become pregnant, or “tubal” pre gnancy. This type pregnancy is very dangerous because, as the fetus grows, it will rupture the tube, caus ing massive internal bleeding. Death is a possibility. The ovaries and abdominal cavity can become in fected from PID, possibly requiring hospitalization and surgery. Late complications for both sexes: ar thritis, heart complications, blind ness, brain damage, tissue and organ damage. Q. Since women usually have no symptoms, how will a woman know she has the disease? A. Her male partner with symptoms should refer her im mediately to a physician for diag nosis and treatment. If she is sexu- FRENCH’S PRIVATE SCHOOLS Wee Aggieland School 1711 Village, College Station, 693-9900 Royal Tot School 110 Royal, Bryan, 822-0391 • Limited enrollment • Certified teachers • Kindergarten AH new private first grade • Pre-Kindergarten • All day care • Visitors welcome First Day of School Royal Tot School — August 18 • Wee Aggieland School — August 19 Open House Sunday, August 15 Everyone Welcome 3-5 p.m. ^ze ^iquoise^Slipp MANOR EAST MALL PRICES FROM $6.00 — UP 10% AGGIE DISCOUNT WITH I.D. CARD OPEN 11:00 A.M. DAILY ally active, she can ask her physician to perform a “gonorrhea culture” test every 3-6 months, or whenever she receives a pelvic examination. The test is painless. Q. Can the birth control pill and IUD prevent gonorrhea? A. No. In fact, some authorities believe the pill actually increases the user’s susceptibility. Q. What other venereal or sexu ally transmitted diseases are there? A. Syphilis is the other most im portant venereal disease. A painless sore on or near the genitals will ap pear, usually 3-4 weeks after expo sure. There may be a rash or sore throat a few weeks later. Syphilis, like gonorrhea, is completly curable. Q. Are there other venereal dis eases besides syphilis and gonorrhea? A. There are several other condi tions that may be transmitted during sexual contact. Nonspecific uret hritis (NSU) causes symptoms very like those of gonorrhea in men. Some vaginal infections are sexually transmitted. Any pain, itching, dis charge, or painless sore on the geni tal area should be seen immediately by a doctor. Most sexually transmit ted diseases are fairly easy to cure. Q. I have some antibiotics at home; can I treat myself? A. No. The treatment requires specific antibiotics in specific dos ages. Q. What about genital herpes; is it curable too? A. Genital herpes, like flu or chic ken pox, is caused by a virus, and no specific treatment is available. It lE DRUGS & FOODS UNIVERSITY DRIVE AT COLLEGE AVENUE MONDAY-SATURDAY 8 AM TO 12 PM SUNDAY 9 AM TO 10 PM PRICES EFFECTIVE WED .-SAT., AUGUST 18-21, 1976 PEPSI COLA DIET AND REGULAR 1 QUART BOTTLES FOR ONLY ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR TEXAS INSTRUMENTS MODEL 1200 EASY TO READ EASY TO OPERATE MACARONI* & CHEESE SUBJECTS BOOK GOLDEN GRAIN w* OUNCE PACKAGE PQR ONLY THREE-IN-ONE SPIRAL SUBJECTS BOOK 120 SHEETS CORN MEAD’S DATA CENTER WELL FILLED EARS FOR ONLY PLANNING & FILING NOTEBOOK BUILT IN CLIPBOARD PLANNING AIDS rent Sati lies causes painful genital blimUST may recur several times.Tlfpsaid is contagious and maybes:®sh(N sex partners. In pregnant Ite a 11 genital herpes increasesrislKe tl) defects. There may alsobe^ans : tion between genital herp;^ of e tions and cervical cancer <iae ta; who have been infectedstisjend a periodic tests. Bulloc Q. How can one avoid i-bcr st: A. As with any disease,aii their tact with infected persons,lW )we culty lies in knowing whoisj 6 §°j Two people who engage i” activity only with each other become infected if neither fected at the beginning o( tionship. Any contact wi with a penile discharge (sore) is dangerous as these can be transmitted to the throat or rectum. Useofj (rubber) can prevent tram® disease if it is worn tire period of sexual contact| ing of the genitals and urinij intercourse may be helpbl Q. Where can one gtl. examination or treatment? |f; A. To one’s private local public health depart clinic; a “free” clinic; aneu room service of city/county Examinations and treatment public facilities are either nominal cost. Q. What if one is a mins] parents be told? A. No. By law, all veneres cases are confidential. A any age may consent tobisi diagnosis and treatment. I Q. How can one find« about the venereal disea other sexually transmittedi A. Contact the Texas DeJ of Health Resources, Venea ease Division, 1100 m Street, Austin Texas 787S (512) 454-3781, Ext. 581,i booklet “VD Answers to Frequently Asked Queslii Venereal Disease.” Ifyi teacher, or are in the field, contact the VD Dhis for teaching or medicalresi or for in-service training and programs. DIE PI Area highway soon to he reconstruct^ District Seventeen hij provement projects in tk| College Station area areii the 1976 State Highway hi Betterment and Farm Road Improvement Prog cently approved by the Stf—. _ way and Public TranspiP Commission. District Engineer Joe CI of the State Department!| ways and Public Transport work in this area includf Highway 6 from 4.3 miles College Station south 2.5iii work will consist of reconsl the four-lane section near World Speedway. This pi pected to cost $410,000. The design and consN this project will be undertli vision ofB.G. Bockmon, ^ One resident engineer. Similar programs had HDINI ducted annually until lastT that time, there wasnosuyp [ ram because of the fmancifl facing the State Departr'eaft Highways and Public Tri]p| RC; tion. Funds remain shorltf''D'- way work in Texas and i®; states in the nation because ing inflation and diminishi* rates of available revenues L Department officials, W - _ note that such programs tvA I deferred for long without sfL p. fects. Types of work includsJf program will provide extras # of safety, increase trafficca^ convenience and rehabilM obsolete sections. Program! this are necessary to prei' terioration of the highway and a resulting decline inS 1 Tm • Bt fo ides l provement of a total of3,H>ll of highways and FM roads | per cent assigned to State-numbered routes, 39®f for FM routes and 3 pen served for later assignment] In all, the program in projects in 190 counties oft» SATURDAY India Association movk Machaye Shor,” with Engfc ties; 7:30 p.m., Meteort' Oceanographgy 112. SUNDAY Chess Committee6 p.m., Embrey’s Jewel We Specialize In Diamonds Set- Sizing — Recxidizing- All types watch/jewel Repair Aggie Charge Accoutt, 9-5:30 W