Canandaigua - New York Civil Liberties Union

Canandaigua 250
n Medidne may make sex with an' HIV-
U infected partner safer.
There is still no cure for acquired immune deficiency
syndrome (AIDS),which is, caused by the human
lmmurtodeñclency. virus (HIV). That virus spreads
through vaginal, oral, ör anal sex with an infected
person; sharing needles with an infected person; or
getting Infectedblood, semen, or vaginal secretions
into an open wound; However, medications called
antiretrovirai drugs can now ward off AIDS in HIVpositive
people for many years. (This ls one more
reason to be' screened regularly if you're sexually
active.) Anew study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in Seattle shows that the medication
can also cut by about 90 percent a person's chances
bf passing the virus on to his or her sexual partners.
Knowing your HIVstatus and géttihg treatment if
heeded can onlyhelp both you and your partneres}.
n 'Not aUlubes are created equal.
~. Lubricants~l"e gels that make condoms easier
to use by reducing th.efriction between latex and skin,
but choosing the wrong kindmay make you more vulnèrable
to!ms. Some condoms come coated in lube,
but the stuff can also be bought separately in tubes
or bottles. OnlyWater:'öl"silicone-based lubes should
be used with ' condcms=-øther products, such as
petrblellmjelly (Vaseline) and baby oil,which might
seem as ifthey (:ould help make things more slippery,
can wear down latex condoms and cause them to fail.
NeWstudies clone at the University of pittsburgh
and the University of California, Los Angeles, have
shown that certain lubes may be evenbetterthán
others. When used dUring anal sex, some common
brand~ may irritâte the skin and destroy beneficial
bacteria, possibly increasing the risk of transmitting
STis.The best, sáfest brands, found the researchers,
appear to be Pré and Wet ,PlatinUm.
11':I' Herpes isn't the, end of the world.
Ií.I Why would a magazine dedicated to promoting
sexual health say that? Because the stigma
attached to herpes=-anIncurable STIthat can cause
painful blisters on and around the genitals, mouth,
and anus-is probably keeping some people from
getting tested and revealing their infection to partners,
thereby contributing to its spread. "Just finding
out the truth scares people," 'believes Carla L.,lB,
another peer educåtor in California. JÍOr they're afraid
they'll lose their partner," adds fellow educator
Cynthia c, 17.
The truth is, herpes isn't a rare STIthat only promiscuous
people get. Experts estimate that ohe in
five Americans is infected. It's also not true that the
minute you're lntlmatewíth an infected boyfriend or
girlfriend, you break out into hideous sores that never
go away. Infact, most people with herpes either have
no symptoms or have symptoms so mild that they're
unrioticeable. For those who do have blisters, the
outbreaks usually become much less severe, less frequent;
and less contagious after the first year.
Unfortun~tely, Cl perspn 7an transmit herpes even
when no sores are pre~entand even if the person
doesn't know he orshe has it. The person's partner
may be less fortunate and experience an outbreak
within a Jew days, or years later. 'That means it's
nearly impossible to, figure out who you got itfrom"
if you' have had more than on~sexui31partner," says
Krishnan. Using condoms, avoiding sex durihg an outbreak,andtakingantiviral,
medicàtion can all lower
'the,riskofpa~sing,it to a partner. The Senters for Disease'
C9ntrolal)d"Preventiondoesn'tyet recommend
thatevèryonesetscreened forth~ infection, because
the test is QOlyc1ose to'-chot tfuly-"--l(JO percent
,accqrate: Byt ifyoü have sYmptoms you think could
indicate herpes, ask a doctor fora blood test.
n,c:~råbl~STlsrnight
nct always be.
al, ' ',ThejrifeçÍ:ions. mentiø",ne,d abCive-'-HPV, HIV,
andherpesarei3ncausedby',viruses and are' all
incurabli:.LLJêkily, someofth~ most common STis
among young PeOple--those causeçl by bacteriacan
be, de(ired .,up with a quick trip to the, doctor
and a' prescription for antibiotics. Gonorrhea is one
of them,