Could A Vaccine You Probably Already Have Protect Against Gonorrhea?
There’s potential good news in gonorrhea prevention as a series of studies suggests that certain meningococcal B (MenB) vaccines can reduce the risk of gonorrhea.
STID? The Case for a New Term
ASHA was founded in 1914 as the American Social Hygiene Association. By 1959 that name seemed dated so ASHA became the American Social Health Association, a moniker we kept until we rang in 2013 by becoming the American Sexual Health Association.
Times change and our language and terminology need the occasional dusting off (perhaps reboot is more appropriate in 2016?). Another case in point from our sexual health field: the term VD (for venereal disease) eventually was replaced by STD which, in turn, is often playing second fiddle to STI (read our explanation of all this here). Do we perhaps need a more precise term?
In her paper “STD (sexually transmitted disease) or STI (sexually transmitted infection): Should we choose?” medical linguist Janet Byron Anderson, PhD, argues that we do and proposes “sexually transmissible infectious disease (STID)” as a more accurate way to refer these infections or diseases or…well, you read her paper and let us know what you think.
Do we need a new term for a new era and is STID the way to go? Send your comments to us via email and we’ll publish selected musings on the subject.
More to Explore
New Recommendations to Make IUD Insertion Less Painful
There is new guidance on pain management for IUD insertion and acknowledgement that providers often underestimate the pain patients feel during their procedures.
FDA Approves At-Home Collection Device for Cervical Cancer Screening
The FDA just approved the Teal Wand, a self-collection device for HPV testing that does not require a speculum exam or even a trip to the doctor’s office. People can collect their own sample at home and send it to a lab for analysis.
One and Done? New Study Suggests that One Dose of HPV Vaccine May Be Enough
The results of large-scale study of HPV suggest that one shot of the vaccine may be enough to protect young people from HPV and related issues like cervical cancer.
Are Patients Not Following Through with STI Treatment?
About 1.6 million cases of chlamydia and 600,000 cases of gonorrhea are diagnosed in the United Sates each year. A new study suggests that these patients may not be following through with STI treatment or getting the right antibiotics.
A Possible New Treatment for Gonorrhea
A clinical trial of a new antibiotic found that it works just as well as a current drug regimen for treating gonorrhea infections. This is important because the bacteria that causes gonorrhea has become resistant to most existing antibiotics.