African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic STD's ... - Blackherbals.com

Expedited Partner Therapy
Recommended to Prevent
STI Reinfection
Washington, DC -- August 22, 2011 -- Ob-gyns are
encouraged to prescribe antibiotics for the male partners of
their female patients diagnosed with chlamydia or
gonorrhea to reduce the high reinfection rate, says The
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(The College) in a new Committee Opinion issued today.
This practice, known as "expedited partner therapy"
(EPT), allows doctors to provide prescriptions for
antibiotics or the antibiotics themselves to female
patients to take to their male partners who are either
unlikely or unable to go to the doctor.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) disproportionately
affect women and pose a significant, yet preventable,
threat to their fertility. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the
top two most commonly reported STIs in the US, and
girls and young women ages 15-24 have the highest
number of cases of both. The 12-month reinfection rate
of chlamydia among adolescents and young women is as
high as 26%, often due to an untreated male sexual
partner.
"Evidence indicates that EPT can decrease reinfection
rates compared to standard partner referrals for
examination and treatment," said Diane F. Merritt, MD,
chair of The College's Committee on Adolescent Health
Care. "Of course, it's preferable that a physician
examines a patient in-person before prescribing
medication, but the benefits of EPT among individuals
whose partners are otherwise unlikely to seek care in
preventing chlamydia and gonorrhea reinfections
outweigh the risks to the partners."
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are infections that may not
cause symptoms, or if they do, they're vague (vaginal or
penile discharge, abnormal vaginal bleeding, cramping).
"Many people who have an STI are not aware of it and
pass it to their partners," said Dr. Merritt. "Undiagnosed
and untreated STIs can cause scarring and damage a
woman's ability to become pregnant when she's ready to
have a baby. Fortunately, chlamydia and gonorrhea can
be quickly diagnosed with a simple urine test and treated
with a short course of antibiotics."
According to The College, the practice of prescribing
antibiotics to non-patients without prior examination is
permissible in 27 states, potentially allowable in 15 other
states, and prohibited in 8 states. The College
encourages ob-gyns to push for legalization of expedited
partner therapy in those states and jurisdictions where
it's illegal or where the legal status of EPT is unclear or
ambiguous.
Reference
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Committee Opinion No. 506: Expedited Partner Therapy in the
Management of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia by Obstetrician-
Gynecologists. Obstetrics and Gynecology 118(3):761-766.
September 2011.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Expedited Partner Therapy Recommended to Prevent STI
Reinfection. Press release. August 22, 2011.
http://hivandhepatitis.com/other-infections/otherinfections/other-stds/3232-sexual-partners-should-getexpedited-treatment-for-chlamydia-and-gonorrhea
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New Aids Cases Increase by
50,000 This Year
By Stephen Otage
October 1, 2011
Daily Monitor
In the last eight months, the number of new HIV/Aids
infections has increased by 50,000 reported cases,
according to research findings released by the Uganda
Aids Information Centre (AIC) yesterday.
The research shows that although the national prevalence
of the disease has stagnated between 6 and 6.3 per cent,
the new figure is nearly half the 110,000 cases captured
last year. Most new infections are mainly coming from
married couples, sex workers, fishing communities and
long-distance truck drivers.
As a result, Uganda needs to step up HIV/Aids control and
prevention programmes to reduce the strain the country is
already facing in providing medication to the patients
already under treatment. The most affected group falls
under the age bracket of 25-49 years and women are the
most affected standing at 7.6 per cent. It is less among the
new-born because of the prevention of mother-to-child
transmission programme.
It also shows that the previous trends were a reduction in
new infections. “The institution of marriage is failing.
Families are breaking up. There is another challenge of
people who do not want to know their status. 70 per cent
of Ugandans don’t know their status,” Dr Raymond
Byaruhanga, the executive director AIC, said while
releasing the report, adding that the increase in new
infections among married couples can be attributed to the
breakdown in marriages where partners become unfaithful
to each other. Continued on page 70
-69- Traditional African Clinic October 2011