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Venereal disease-the causes . . .
by A J. McClanahan
Don't give a dose to the one you love
most.
So sang the band on "VD Blues," a
PBS presentation to kick off the national
campaign against venereal disease.
Dose, clap, syph, the drip . . . The
nicknames go on and on, but they all
refer to venereal disease and the United
States is having an epidemic of it.
The phrase venereal disease comes
from Venus, goddess of love, and refers
to maladies that are virtually always
transmitted by sexual contact rumors
about toilet seats not withstanding.
The two main diseases are syphilis and
gonorrhea, gonorrhea being long
overlooked and now the most prevalent
Figures vary from two to four million
cases of VD a year in the United States,
but at any rate VD is not outranked only
by the common cold in the list of most
common diseases. And young people have
the highest chances of getting the disease.
Only the more permissive countries
such as Sweden and Denmark have higher
national averages. And although the VD
epidemic is worldwide, interestingly
enough it is practically nonexistent in
Communist China.
At the Lincoln-Lancaster County
Health Department the number of
gonorrhea cases treated has risen almost
700 per cent in six years, while the
number of syphilis cases has gone down.
In the fiscal year of 1965-66 there were
113 cases of gonorrhea treated, according
to Lester Jensen, director of the
Educational Division. In the fiscal year of
1971-72 there were 772 cases of
gonorrhea treated.
Syphilis has gone from 80 cases
treated in 1965-66 to 18 cases in
1970-71. But in 1971-72 there were 22
Syphilis
Syphilis is caused by a fragile
bacteria of the spirochete group of
bacteria. The organisms will not live
long outside a suitable medium, which
is why they are never transmitted by
toilet seats or doorknobs.
But the genital area is a perfect
place for the organisms to live because
they need a warm, moist place. Sexual
intercourse is almost always the mode
of transmission.
An incubation period of anywhere
from 10 to 90 days can go by before
any symptoms may appear. The
average time is 21 days.
During this incubation period the
spirochetes remain in the mucous
membranes of either the genital area,
the anus, or the mouth, depending on
where transmission took place.
After incubation, syphilis can be
divided into three stages-primary,
wconday, and latent.
By the time the primary stage
cases, showing a slight rise from the
previous year.
Dr. George Underwood, director of
Lincoln-Lancaster County Health
Department, said he expects syphilis to
continue to rise.
So far this year the Sta Department
of Health had 3,517 cases of gonorrhea
reported to them, as compared with
3,191 at this time last year.
Doctors are required by law to turn in
the names of people they treat for VD, so
that followup can be done on their
contacts. Russ Murray, Director of the
Communicable Disease Division at the
State Department of Health, said that
probably only 23 per cent of the VD
cases treated by private doctors are
reported.
University Health Service (UHS) also
showed a rise in VD. For the school year
1964-65 the number of cases was 11. This
year the number is 79.
Murray said, however, the University
itself is not viewed as a specific problem
area.
"Student Health (UHS) does an
excellent job of follow up and their
screening of women for gonorrhea is
excellent."
UHS does a culture test for gonorrhea
on all University women who have a
pelvic examination, according to Celeste
Knipmeyer, a community health nurse at
UHS.
She said that last year out of 500
women tested only four were discovered
to have gonorrhea.
Dr. Underwood said that University
students are a little more open than other
clients as a general rule, although, "the
majority of our patients is not University
students."
"It's a little easier to get their contacts
painless chancre which may or may
not occur. The chancre is usually at
the site of the transmission, but can
occasionally occur on other parts of
the body.
Primary syphilis usually lasts a few
weeks. Then chancre disappears.
Secondary syphilis lasts anywhere
from a few weeks to six months. There
are many symptoms, which don't
always occur or are often overlooked.
The symptoms include a rash, sore
throat, a mild fever headache, andor
hair falling out.
Both the primary and secondary
stages are very infectious. A rash or
lesions in the secondary stage are
highly infectious. This is the only time
the disease might be transmitted other
than through sexual intercourse.
For example, if a man or woman
had lesions around the mouth, kissing
could be the mode of transmission.
All symptoms of both primary and
secondary syphilis ditapuar without
treatment.
out of them and students usually know
the names and . addresses of their
contacts," he said.
He added, however, that after the
importance of treating contacs is
explained to clients they are usually
willing to divulge them, but often times
don't know the names.
He also said University students come
back with reinfection fewer times,
"although they may just be going
someplace for treatment the second
time," and they themselves usually talk
to their contacts and tell them to come
in.
Why has there been such a rise in VD?
Dr. Underwood said he felt one of the
major reasons for a rise was an increase in
promiscuity due to drugs and the pill. He
said the stress on drugs reduces a person's
inhibitions, making him or her more
susceptible to sex.
"One girl, one man is almost out the
window. The basic problem with young
people is their inability to establish a
stable relationship with someone."
When there is one girl to half a dozen
young men there are bound to be
widespread outbreaks, he said.
Gary Martin, acting assistant to the
medical director of UHS apparently
disagrees. He said if there has been an
increase in promiscuity, it has only been a
small increase in white middle class
women.
The pill may indeed be responsible for
the rise in VD in that it changes the
"milieu" of the vaginal area from acidic,
which tends to kill germs, to alkaline,
which does not, he said.
In fact, only 40 per cent of those
women not on the pill who are exposed
to gonorrhea will actually contract the
disease. Almost 100 per cent of the
cord damage, crippling, blindness
andor insanity.
During this stage the disease cannot
be transmitted-except in the case of
a pregnant woman who can transmit
the disease to her unborn child. But if
a woman is treated for syphilis prior to
the third month of pregnancy, there is
little chance the baby will contract the
disease.
If the woman is not treated the
baby usually will be still-born. If not,
the baby may be deformed, have bone
damage, anemia, or damage to the
central nervous system.
A baby that lives usually has a
highly contagious rash. This is
especially dangerous to doctors or
nurses handling the child.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea js caused Jjy a bacteria
of the cocci group and, like syphilis, is
a very fragile organism. It lives in
mucous membranes, usually in the
genital area.