Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that is difficult to diagnose because it has so many different symptoms.  The symptoms can resemble many other diseases.  The sores causes from syphilis are found on [...]]]> New data shows that pepole along the I-4 corridor in Florida are being infected with syphilis at a higher rate that in previous years.

Syphilis Increase in Florida

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that is difficult to diagnose because it has so many different symptoms.  The symptoms can resemble many other diseases.  The sores causes from syphilis are found on the external genitals, anus, vagina, mouth or in the rectum.

If left untreated, syphilis can cause damage to the brain and to other internal organs.

The the previous year, syphilis cases in the state of Florida have increased by 14%, 30% of those are 27 years of age and younger.  Seminole County Health Department plans to educate residents and provide resources to fight syphilis in Florida.

It is important to diagnose and receive treatment for a syphilis infection before long term health problems can develop.

Testing for Syphilis

Testing for syphilis can be found through your primary doctor or through the health department. Another option is a premium STD testing service that will test for syphilis much faster than a doctor or health department.

According to a new study of sexual health from Lloydspharmacy – 72% of men have never had an STI screen, compared to 62% of women. Lloydspharmacy also found men were almost twice as likely to test positive for certain STIs such as chlamydia.

13% of men buying [...]]]> Coventry, West Midlands (PRWEB) April 15, 2010

According to a new study of sexual health from Lloydspharmacy – 72% of men have never had an STI screen, compared to 62% of women. Lloydspharmacy also found men were almost twice as likely to test positive for certain STIs such as chlamydia.

13% of men buying chlamydia tests (http://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/service/Sexual-health-tests/Chlamydia-test) from Lloydspharmacy’s Online Doctor (http://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/) tested positive compared to just six per cent of women.

The research from the community pharmacy (http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/) chain also found that men are placing themselves at greater risk of picking up an STI (http://health.lloydspharmacy.com/womenshealth/sexualhealth/venerealdiseases.php) with 13% of men having had unprotected sex with more than one person over the last five years, almost double that of women (7%).

With the research revealing that men are more reluctant to be tested but significantly more likely to test positive than women, the findings fuel concerns that men may be delaying testing until they are showing symptoms and that real rates of infection are significantly higher than reported.

Although men are less likely to have had a face-to-face consultation for an STI screen, according to Lloydspharmacy sales of tests online are split almost equally between men and women. This suggests that men prefer the anonymity of the online channel.

Through its Online Doctor service the community pharmacy chain has launched a postal Platinum Test for men which screens for five genital infections; genital Chlamydia (http://health.lloydspharmacy.com/womenshealth/sexualhealth/chlamydia.php), genital gonorrhoea, mycoplasma, ureaplasma and trichomonas. This confidential postal service allows men to be tested and if found to be positive, treated without the need to visit their GP.

“The lower rate of face-to-face testing and higher incidence of positive results amongst men suggests that many men may be waiting until they suspect they have an infection before getting themselves tested”, said Clare Kerr, Lloydspharmacy’s head of sexual health. “This is particularly worrying as many STIs don’t have any obvious symptoms, so men could be putting both themselves and their partners at risk by delaying tests.”

“Embarrassment is a huge barrier to testing and so we hope that removing the need to see a GP or GUM clinic face-to-face will encourage men to test themselves regularly. We can provide accurate tests for a wide range of genital infections anonymously and discreetly through the Online Doctor.”

References:

Research conducted by ICM among 3001 adults over the weekend of 5-7 March 2010.

Notes to editors:

About Lloydspharmacy:

Lloydspharmacy has around 1700 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 145 million prescription items annually.

Lloydspharmacy which is a community pharmacy has primary care at the heart of its business. This is why it has launched a range of products aimed at improving community health such as affordable blood pressure monitors and allergy relievers, as well as a suite of convenient professional health check services including free blood pressure and diabetes testing, and cholesterol and heart checks in the comfort of a private consultation room.

Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart. Celesio is one of the leading trading companies and service providers within the pharmaceutical market worldwide.

PR contact:

Claire Connolly

Press Officer

Lloydspharmacy

Sapphire Court

Walsgrave Triangle

Coventry

CV2 2TX

02476 432192

###
Find More Chlamydia Press Releases

As the UK online healthcare provider 121doc continues to offer new prescription only medications (POM) and Valtrex, a product of pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, is the latest treatment to be made available to people in the UK via a next day delivery service.

Valtrex is the trade name for [...]]]>  london (PRWEB UK) 19 October 2011

As the UK online healthcare provider 121doc continues to offer new prescription only medications (POM) and Valtrex, a product of pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, is the latest treatment to be made available to people in the UK via a next day delivery service.

Valtrex is the trade name for valaciclovir (INN) or valacyclovir (USAN), an antiviral drug created specifically for controlling HSV-2 (genital herpes) and herpes zoster (shingles). Valtrex genital herpes treatment may also be up to three times more successful in preventing the transmission of infection between sexual partners.

121doc patients looking to start a course of Valtrex tablets can go online and choose their dosage. A doctor will ask the patient a set of general and specific medical questions before deciding whether the medication, created by GlaxoSmithKline, is right for their condition.

This news comes off the back of a recent success story for GlaxoSmithKline after it was awarded the contract for Official Laboratory Services Provider to London 2012. This week the company gained further prestige by announcing the results from a large-scale Phase III trial of RTS,S, a highly anticipated malaria vaccine.

The results of on-going RTS,S testing concluded that the vaccine will provide young African children with significant protection against clinical and severe malaria with an acceptable safety and tolerability profile. Malaria is said to be responsible for close to 800,000 deaths each year, most of whom are children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa.

The success of Malaria drug RTS,S was pronounced at the Malaria Forum hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington.

After the introduction of RTS,S and a portfolio of products for other major disease areas including asthma, cancer, virus control, infections, mental health, diabetes and digestive conditions, GlaxoSmithKline is set to surpass rivals Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer as the world’s largest pharmaceutical company.

121doc private healthcare includes an online doctor service for patients who require discretion and speed when obtaining a prescription only medication (POM). GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer are three of the well respected pharmaceutical companies behind medications supplied by 121doc.

Toby Sandford

Staff Writer

121doc.co.uk

Toby(dot)sandford(at)121doc(dot)com

According to TVGuide.com, the upcoming season of The Office will be the last for Steve Carell’s character, “Michael Scott.” In their recent blurb titled “A New Enemy for The Office’s Michael Scott,” they explain some of the upcoming details that were announced by the writers of the show. TVGuide.com

A new study from University of Colorado researchers has found that women, nonwhites and residents of the southern US tend to have poorer outcomes after being diagnosed with HIV. Writing in the February 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, a team led by Amie L. [...]]]>
Medford, NY (Vocus/PRWEB) January 26, 2011

A new study from University of Colorado researchers has found that women, nonwhites and residents of the southern US tend to have poorer outcomes after being diagnosed with HIV. Writing in the February 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, a team led by Amie L. Meditz, MD, reports that members of those groups who were newly infected with HIV and followed for an average of four years experienced more serious HIV-related illnesses than others.

Focusing on more than 2,000 patients, the researchers found that the frequency of HIV-related illness in women was more than double that of men, with nonwhite women having the most negative outcomes. After eight years of infection, HIV-related events affected 64% of nonwhite women, compared to 21% of those in other combined race and sex groups. Meanwhile, eight years into their diagnosis, 78% of nonwhites and 37% of whites in the South had experienced one or more HIV/AIDS-related event, compared to 17% of nonwhites and 24% of whites in other areas. The researchers hypothesized that the disparities could be linked to the influence of socioeconomic factors, including access to health care, health behaviors, lifestyle and environmental exposures.

These stark numbers reinforce the need for earlier testing and earlier detection of this deadly disease, which could counteract the effects of the socioeconomic factors identified by the authors, says Lawrence Siebert, Chief Executive Officer of Chembio Diagnostics Inc., a Medford, NY-based company that develops, manufactures, markets and licenses point-of-care diagnostic tests. The sooner one learns of ones HIV status, the better the chances are of responding effectively. It is essential to make tests more easily available and easier to administer, along the lines of home pregnancy tests, in order to improve HIV-related morbidity and mortality in these populations.

In pursuit of this goal, Chembio has created a patented, next-generation testing approach known as Dual Path Platform (DPP

ZEUS Scientific announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the ZEUS ELISA Treponema pallidum IgG Test System. This new Test System is intended for the qualitative detection of specific human IgG class antibodies to Treponema pallidum in human sera. The presence [...]]]>

ZEUS Scientific

Branchburg, NJ (PRWEB) March 13, 2011

ZEUS Scientific announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the ZEUS ELISA Treponema pallidum IgG Test System. This new Test System is intended for the qualitative detection of specific human IgG class antibodies to Treponema pallidum in human sera. The presence of antibodies to Treponema pallidum specific antigen, in conjunction with non-treponemal laboratory tests and clinical findings, may aid in the diagnosis of syphilis infection.

Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is usually sexually transmitted, but may also be passed from an infected mother to her unborn child. Syphilis is a curable sexually transmitted disease (STD) which, if left untreated, can eventually lead to irreversible damage to the heart and nervous system. Syphilis remains a global problem with an estimated 12 million people infected each year, despite the existence of effective prevention measures.

In conjunction with the recently cleared AtheNA Multi-Lyte

Calling the plan a fig leaf that doesnt cover much, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today responded to the porn industrys plan for the control of bloodborne pathogens on adult entertainment film sets. The plan, released yesterday by the Free Speech Coalition, an adult-industry trade group, came on the [...]]]>

Porn Industry Fig Leaf

Los Angeles, CA (Vocus) December 19, 2009

Calling the plan a fig leaf that doesnt cover much, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today responded to the porn industrys plan for the control of bloodborne pathogens on adult entertainment film sets. The plan, released yesterday by the Free Speech Coalition, an adult-industry trade group, came on the heels of AHFs petition to Cal/OSHApresented to the agency yesterdayseeking to clarify protections for workers in the adult film industry and to explicitly require condoms. Though AHF believes the Cal/OSHAs current regulations to prevent the transmission of bloodborne pathogens on California worksites does apply to porn sets, the adult industrys refusal to comply has made such an explicit requirement necessary.

According to an article on the adult entertainment news website Xbiz.com (Free Speech Coalition Drafts Performer Safety Plan, Rhett Pardon): The plans contents are comprehensive for worker safety and address numerous practices over everything from controlling waste to housekeeping to the cleaning of sex toys. It also addresses training, as well as pre- and post-scene evaluation, and makes examination recommendations for new-to-the-industry performers.

The industrys voluntary plan, while including such measures as requiring regulated waste be disposed of in Biohazard Waste Containers and a detailed section about laundry procedures for bedding and wardrobe, stops short of requiring condoms.

Far from being a comprehensive plan to address the serious problem of sexually-transmitted disease among porn performers, the industrys voluntary plan is simply a porn fig leaf that doesnt cover much, said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The 13-page document leaves out the one and only piece of equipment that is proven to be effective in preventing the transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases a five cent condom. Without a condom requirement, the industrys plan is completely bogus. Luckily though, they have vowed to do the laundry.

Additional procedures included in the plan are what the Free Speech Coalition is calling Performer Work Practice Controls. Among the proposed safety measures, is the following:

At the end of the scene, the performers will stop and wash affected body parts to help reduce the risk of STDs. For example, if anal sex is performed on a female performer, the performers will stop at the end of this scene and wash affected body parts (hands, penis, vagina, anus, etc.) with appropriate sanitizing wipes (safe for human contact) before proceeding with the next scene.

There is no such thing as a comprehensive worker safety plan for adult performers that excludes condoms, said Whitney Engeran-Cordova, Director, AHF Public Health Division. More and more, performers are being asked to participate in higher risk activities such as double and triple penetrationactivities that increase risk of exposure to disease present in body fluids. What is being presented in this plan falls appallingly short of complying with Cal/OSHAs bloodborne pathogens standard designed to protect workers from exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials at a California worksite. Washing the affected areas afterwards with sanitary wipes is a fine way to prevent the spread of the common cold. But, as a measure to prevent the transmission of STDs, including HIV, it is laughable.

For several years, AHF has advocated for legislation require condoms in adult films produced in California in order to protect performers and the public health. The ongoing campaign has gained considerable momentum in recent months after it was reported in June that an actress working in the adult film industry had tested positive for HIV.

Yesterday, AHF filed a petition with the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Cal/OSHA) seeking an amendment to California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 5193 Bloodborne Pathogens to clarify protections for workers in the adult film industry and to explicitly include a condom requirement. AHF efforts during this past year have also included filing sixteen worker-safety complaints with Cal/OSHA over the lack of condom use in adult films made in California and a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) to require condom use in the production of pornography.

These latest actions have been prompted by an ongoing epidemic of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) in Californias adult film industry. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH), workers in the adult film industry are ten times more likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease than members of the population at large. The County documented 2,013 individual cases of Chlamydia and 965 cases of gonorrhea among workers between the years 2003 and 2007. LADPH has observed that many workers suffer multiple infections, with some performers having four or more separate infections over the course of a year. These numbers are widely believed to be significantly underestimated as testing within the industry is limited.

In addition, the County has stated that as many as 25 industry-related cases of HIV have been reported since 2004.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the largest global AIDS organization. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 120,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and the Asia Pacific Region. http://www.aidshealth.org

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) will be highlighting the latest research on issues relating to children and HIV at the 2011 International AIDS Society (IAS) conference in Rome.

The sixth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Prevention, held July 17 20, [...]]]>
Rome, Italy (PRWEB) July 15, 2011

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) will be highlighting the latest research on issues relating to children and HIV at the 2011 International AIDS Society (IAS) conference in Rome.

The sixth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Prevention, held July 17 20, is this years most prominent research conference on global HIV/AIDS. The Foundation will have nearly thirty representatives in attendance from the various countries in which it works, including the U.S., Cameroon, C

Happy Birthday to the #GlobalFund, 10 yrs old today! It has saved millions of lives from AIDS, TB, malaria. – by NickKristof (Nicholas Kristof)