A Drug Recall May Mean a Another Shortage of Syphilis Treatment
An antibiotic that is important in the fight against syphilis will once again be hard to find, this time because of a voluntary recall by the manufacturer.
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.
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New Study Links Doxy PEP to Growing Antibiotic Resistance
A new study is raising concerns that doxy PEP, a strategy of taking medication to prevent STIs, might already be contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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The FDA has approved lenacapavir as a form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), offering a new option for HIV prevention requiring only two shots per year.
Can Koalas Really Get Chlamydia?
On a recent episode of Love Island, a cast member sugested that we could blame our current STI epidemic on men who had sex with animals. She pointed to koalas with chlamydia as an example. There’s some truth here, but also a lot of misinformation.
New Report Highlights Missed Opportunities for Congenital Syphilis Prevention
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that we’re missing opportunities to prevent congenital syphilis and save lives.
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.