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
aidthec<M om across the nation. The
ration isH° rt * “opidomic” is being used
iurt tniwiMdescribe the VD problem,
or professil So ' ne typos of VD can be
II a OdB 1 '™’ °thers stay with their vic-
hurt their;* 11 f° rever - b 111 two local
tiakesjiu^ttlth-cat'c experts say early di-
Poenischa
■tnosis and treatment offer the
V
|bt't chance for the individuals
>f 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-'
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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 ^ ~
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