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sponsible, careless or freewheeling
sexual or intimate contact.
Health a uthorities estímate at
least 20 percent of the high risk
population of sex ually active
people are infected at any time
with one or more of the serious
STOs.
Dr. Paul Wiesener, director of
t he
V
O d ivision at A tlan ta's
(Georgia) Center for Oisease
Control estimates as many as 30
percc11 , of the sexuall y active
U.S. population have been ex–
posed to genital herpes, while not
in all cases developing symptoms.
Doctors were talking of only
5
pcrcent less than a decade ago.
Thcrc are no precise figures of
infection for sorne of the newer
STOs. Even today these discases
are not required to be reported,
like syphilis and gonorrhea usual–
ly are.
1
n some cases, these d is–
cases have only lately been indi–
vidually recognized. In the past
many doctors thought vict ims had
only sorne minor genital infection
or something that would pass if
given a general antibiotic.
Prívate doctors sti ll do not
rcport many of these infections in
order to protect their patients'
privacy. This practice s tymies the
critica! necessity of tracing down
all contacts for testing andfo r
trcatment. After-the-fact partial
trcatment of victims perpetuates
a vicious cycle of spread ing the
discase as untreated persons keep
reinfecting others.
One of the most unfortunate
faets about sexually transmiss ible
diseases is that not only are sexually
promiscuous persons often hurt ,
but also innocent bystanders–
faithful mates, babies and young
children. Many miscarriages, still–
births, congenitally deformed chil–
dren and cases of blindness, deaf–
ness and other serious health prob–
lems have been caused by syphilis,
gonorrhea, genital herpes or other
STOs and passed along to such indi–
viduals in some unfortunate man–
ner.
Symptomless Crisis
Today grocery stores and public
libraries carry magazines or
34
books that can honestly only be
called pornographic . Magazine
covers offer such titles as, " How
Wicked Are You?" "New Ways
to Turn You On ," " The Artful
Pickup- How to Attract a Part–
ner Anywh e re ," "A Sensual
Sampler."
Every kind ofsex practice is sug–
gested by various media for you to
experiment with . A few give sorne
advice if things go wrong.
" ... Y
ou have t he good
1
uck to be
having a sex life when medica!
seience is able to knock out venereal
disease in rapid order.... lfyou do
get a sore ora discharge or the feel–
ing that something is wrong ... run
to your gynecologist and get fixed
up"
(The Sensuous Woman,
by
''J").
There's one outstanding prob–
lem with
" J "
's advice to lovesick
you ng women swingers- that
advice is total ly wrong for many
infections of STOs.
An STO infection may well
NOT be easily treated. There may
be no cure at all! An STO infec–
tion may not be a "feeling that
somethi ng is wrong."
lt
may not
be a noticeable sore or discharge,
as in about 80 percent of females
infected with gonorrhea and large
numbers of symptomless men
with this serious disease. In vast
numbers of victims, symptoms
may not show up for weeks or
even years.
l t
may not be notice–
able or painful until irreversible
damage has been done.
Not until a child is born blind or
syphilitic-or not born at all dueto
sterility-will many women or their
mates know they have a serious
STO. Not until after one marries,
settles down after a life of "sowing
wild oats," may a person's STO
infection rekindle and infect a
faithful mate.
Too often these facts about STOs
have been played down in modern
society's play-now-fix-the-results–
later philosophy.
It's time to speak out clearly on
the devastating consequences of
wrong lifestyles and sex practices
that violate the laws of the living
God!
lf cigarette compan ies are
required to warn that their prod–
uct is "dangerous to your health ,"
then it is only fair that publishers
and promotcrs of indecent life–
styles and practices be required to
carry notices with their promo–
tions saying:
" WARNING: The immoral sex–
ual acts advocated, stimulated or
encouraged by these ideas, pic–
tures or words may result in a
painful and permanent disease for
which there is no cure. Or in
mental trauma, ruined marriages,
deformed children or suicide."
Debilitating Herpes
"Genital herpes is the disease
which keeps many venereal dis–
ease specia li sts monogamous,' '
says one health specialist. " Ten
years ago it was an uncommon
event to see a patient with genital
herpes," said another dermatolo–
gist in the San Francisco arca.
"Today, there are days when
1
see
up to 10 patients a day with it."
" lt
's the venereal disease of the
new morality," says another spe–
cialist dealing with the problem.
Most medica! officials direct ly
indict sexual promiscuity as the
major cause of th e venereal
herpes epidemic.
But you must understand sorne
important differences in the
herpes problem. Many herpes
simplex infections have nothing
to do with sexual behavior.
A decade ago it was thought
ulcerative sores in the genital area
were caused by the same virus
producing similar sores above the
waist, particularly on the mouth
and lips. Only in 1966 were two
separate herpes simplex viruses
found to be involved in human
infect ions.
Type 1 (herpes simplex virus
type 1) causes common cold sores
and fever blisters above the waist.
It
is usually passed on to others
through kissing, intimate contact
or using the same eating utensils
during an active lesion. The type
1 vi rus may be in as much as half
or even more of a population
group.
Type 2 (herpes simplex virus
type 2) is passed from human to
The
PLAIN TRUTH