Friday, February 17, 1984AThe Battalion/Page 5 ^Number of VD cases increasing in Brazos Valley II lunent ig free rs r look % By JAN PERRY e featureslM r . .Woltal Rcpomr (he centeB Reported cases of venereal eludetheli® seases increased more rapidly the mini®® Brazos County than they did profiialii ii 1 l h e rest °f l i ie state last year, niesandiluKcording th e the State Depart- ism on thtl ijent of Health. ■ In Brazos County, reported |s|philis increased 20 percent (from 74 to 89 cases) and a re- Borted gonorrhea increased 7 )J prcent (f rom 366 to 427 cases), li Texas, reported syphilis ||ses increased 9 percent (from 11,182 to 12,210) and reported Bmorrhea decreased 6 percent ■rom 81,580 to 76,903) from leidlingers P2 to 1983. difficulty JThat is not surprising, since ually get®y an an( * * f-°h e g e Station are she said an two of the state’s fastest ■•owing areas. But the local and 1 PoenisdIt 116 ' ncreases parallel increases eaninthtIB reported venereal diseases aidthecf ArchilJfth VD to return to a normal ital Design ■ est y ke - ops rightdiB Still, the dilemma prevails, thestudecV e soc i a l stigma involved in aid This[dB e ^' n S me dical care is still a “donthe! P 1 'Blc 111 for some members of per classr« c ' el y- an have OB hr. Claude B. Goswick, dtrec- Itor of the A.P. Beutel Health Benter, said the problem with |ost sexually transmitted dis- |ses is that if they are allowed | go untreated for long, the af- |r-effects are worse than the actual disease. S |The five major sexually Kansniitted diseases are herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia , attackinghepatitis. 1 He said early diagnosis and ivi jjjJeatnient make a quick recov- ot cortiffiBy more lively. People who I |)leedinc‘B mk kiave boo 11 exposed to lyeen notJ| e diseases should be aware of ons of niffi® 6 symptoms, Goswick said. — m ,J nte tkie symptoms appear, the . TBdividual must seek treatment ire pr«rP nediatel y' he sa ‘ d - Bin some cases the symptoms of veneral diseases vary slightly I graft-veB! 1011 ? individuals, Goswick rZ| The . s y m Ptoms for genital ansDteW r P es ‘ n most individuals gen- ally in the J id. bone man| er, Kathei • Burning, itching or tingling sensation in the groin. • Varying numbers of blister like bumps appearing on or near the genitals. • Blisters that soon rupture and become ulcer-like sores. Some types of VD can be cured; others stay with their victim for ever. But two local health-care experts say early diagnosis and treatment offer the best chance for the in dividuals with VD to return to a normal lifestyle. • Enlarged lymph nodes in the groin. • Fever. • Fatigue. • Headache. Goswick said there are three no ticeable diseases called herpes — herpes simplex (fever blis ters), herpes zoster (chicken pox and shingles), and herpes progenitalis (herpes of the geni tals). He said herpes progenitalis is primarily spread by sexual con tact when the individual is in fectious — when the blisters are present. When the blisters are no longer present the virus lies dormant for an indefinite pe riod and can reappear later. “Herpes is unpredictable,” Goswick said. “The acute phases may not reappear for a month, a year or never. You just don’t know.” It is unlikely that a person can contract herpes from an in animate object, such as toilet seats or door knobs. “The herpes virus does not survive under dry conditions,” Goswick said. However, he said, if your roommates or relatives have herpes, you probably should be careful not to borrow their clothes or towels —just as a precautionary measure. There is no known cure for herpes. Goswick said several treatments, usually ointments, are available to relieve discom fort. He said research is under way now to develop a remedy in pill form. “The disease just has to run its course,” he said. “It’s very painful.” Sally Miller, clinic coordina tor for Planned Parenthood of Brazos Gounty, said herpes is diagnosed by performing tissue cultures of the blisters and by observing the sores. The clinic also tries to find out from whom the disease could have been contracted. She said counseling for emotional support is also a major part of the treatment of herpes. Miller said pregnant women who have had herpes present a potential hazard to their un born child. The woman must take precautions to ensure the safety of her child. Her doctor must be made aware of her his tory of herpes so a cesarean de livery can be performed if the blisters reappear. “The woman must be aware of her condition and commu nicate the possibility of herpes being present at the time of de livery to her doctor,” Miller said. “It does not mean that a woman with herpes can never deliver.” If an active herpes blister is present on or near the woman’s birth canal, the child will be ex posed to the virus. The survival rate of newborn children ex posed to herpes is low, Miller said. Those children who sur vive will probably be retarded or blind. Women who have contracted syphilis or gonorrhea while pre gnant also present a risk to their children, Miller said. “Infants born to women with syphilis become very ill,” Miller said. They can be born with a heart defect, bone deformity or other damage that may appear later in childhood. It is now standard practice for the physician to give a blood test to the newborn to deter mine if the child has syphilis. The child is also treated with eye drops at birth to prevent blindness due to gonorrhea, Miller said. Gonorrhea presents a special problem to newborns and oth ers because its symptoms in women are difficult to detect. They often go unnoticed, so the infection is easily spread to oth ers. A female with gonorrhea dis plays the following symptoms: • Burning sensation when uri nating. • Increased vaginal discharge. • Fever. • Stomach pain. The symptoms for a male with gonorrhea are: • A burning sensation when urinating. • Discharge of pus. Goswick said gonorrhea is trea table in both men and women. If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause sterility or arthritis in males. In females, gonorrhea can cause painful scarring of the Fallopian tubes and ovaries that may later cause infertility and pelvic inflammatory dis ease. Women with pelvic in flammatory disease from gon orrhea often have premature menopause. A more serious venereal dis ease, syphilis, can attack and damage any tissue or organ in the body. The symptoms are: • Presence of a chancre, which looks like a pimple, blister or open sore. • Rash over any part of body. • Bald spots where hair has fallen out. • Fever. • Sore throat. • Splitting headaches. Many of the signs of syphilis mimic the symptoms of many other diseases. Only a doctor can determine if they ar£ caused by syphilis. If left untreated, syphilis, goes through several stages^ Goswick said. In men anc}- women, syphilis can cause' blindness, deafness, paralysis," insanity and death. Another lesser known sex ually transmitted disease is chla-' mydia (pronounced Kla-mid-K ah). It is twice as common asj gonorrhea and often appears at the same lime as gonorrhea. S-' » ■ # * m ‘COUPON* m m INTERNATIONAL HOUSE RESTAURANT Breakfast Special $*| 99 v ■ ■ ■ m « Includes your choice of 4 great kinds of pancakes-- Bk Buttermilk, Strawberry .Blueberry, or Pecan. Plus2stripsof bacon or sausage and 1 1|^ egg (any style). JTW Monday thru Friday Up to 4 people with this coupon Offer expires Feb. 29, 1984 W.-' t At . , - ■ NTERNATIQNAL HOUSE of PANCAKES * RESTAURANT 103 N. College Skaggs Center ti; ■ tiil Italian police fear renewed violence despite g Dzu id i \ mces ol to Quid I “cleansed j ! it AarmM (Juixed Press International [SpeJI ROME — Police, fearing a lined immB newa l of Red Brigades vio- irvived bt| nce < searc h ec l f° r clues Thurs- se-free pl'j^V at the suburban villa where firsi millin' shot and killed the American director-general of the multinational observer force in the Sinai. Because of the precise plan ning of the attack against Lea- lon R. Hunt, one of the most politically important American residents in Rome, the Italian press said it raised the specter of a return of Red Brigades vio lence in Italy. L f Police said a telephoned tehim of responsibility by the [Combatant Communist Party, a Boup formed of remnants of the Red Brigades and other fltalian left-wing terrorist groups, appeared to be authen tic. They said the caller de scribed details of the Fiat car the gunmen used in the attack. In addition, Red Brigades hard liners among 35 terrorists cur rently being tried in Genova re peated their claim to the Hunt slaying in a court outburst Thursday. it F |1S£. + tax Gene Roddenberry The Star Trek Experience Feb 18 7:30 Rudder Auditorium Non-Student Tickets $3.00, $4.00, $5.00 Student Tickets $2.00, $3.00, $4.00 one student ticket per A&N ID Defendant Mario Seghetti shouted “War on American im perialism” and “Italy out of NATO,” slogans also used in the telephone claim by the Combatant group. Police discounted a rival claim made in Beirut Thursday by an obscure Arab group call ing itself the Lebanese Revolu tionary A.rmed Brigade. F ^ ~ ✓ ,#• * iP * * * + y . >/ ■ Zip'''