Febrile, Headachy Public Health Rambling

I can show my sources, but if you know how to look things up, you shouldn't need them. I did include some links as requested.

Wow, someone in the kink community actually requested my professional opinion recently. It made me feel kinda smart. Maybe my career and college education actually sets me above a random side of submissive beef when it comes to health information? So for hours I've been thinking.. wow REALLY?

STDs/STIs/VD or whatever you call them; aren't something I deal with everyday at work, but sometimes I do, and I notice the most horrible examples of them.

3 out of 5 people have herpes, which can easily be spread from the mouth to the genitals, and vice versa. Forget about what "type", that's mostly to identify what current location the virus has exacerbated in.

Aside from possibly being very painful, herpes can often lead to stillbirth.

Most women, who can also be identified by those who have had an abnormal Pap, have contracted genital warts at some point.

In my experience, even the slightest genital wart history can be detected by an area of the cervix causing problems during vaginal delivery- aside from many other complications.

Both above STDs can never show signs (or show again), can never show up on a diagnostic test yet can still be transmitted to others. Using condoms or just avoiding physical contact with other humans is not a way to prevent these diseases.

What THAT being said, do not even think for one fucking minute that someone with a sexually transmitted disease is nasty, a whore or slut.

Trichomonas is something else that may be transmitted via clothing or towels. As with many diseases, you might not notice or show any symptoms.

Testing for gonorrhea or chlamydia is usually simply a urine or genital swab. A blood test may be used for HIV or syphilis. Active lesions are usually given a simple swab culture. I am so tired of men telling me "I had a blood test, doc says I have no disease" fucking bullshit, how stupid do you think I am?

Hepatitis C has been found virulent in blood dried for a year. However if you are stuck with a needle that had previously been in HIV-infected blood, you only have about a 1:250 chance at seroconverting (detectable disease).

But, I'm not terribly worried about any of the above diseases. I'm worried about MRSA, VRE, mutated resistant tuberculosis. Take your antibiotics as instructed, finish the bottle! However don't ask for antibiotics for every little ailment you have. Wash your goddam hands, and do it right. So many people I know, mostly men, NEVER wash their hands after using the bathroom!

10% bleach or certain hospital disinfectant is the only way to safely clean a contaminated surface. Yes breast milk is a biohazard too. Forget about cleaning with alcohol or peroxide.. I'll stop here because this is getting too long and it's a different subject.

If you are sick, go to the doctor!

DO NOT call me and say you have disease symptoms, then ask me what to do. First of all, I can't give a diagnosis over the phone about your strange problems, second of all it's illegal to practice medicine that way. And I am already taking care of many other people with real problems, I don't have the time or energy for that. If I do tell you what to do, DON'T argue with me, why are you even asking me then?

For locals

Free STD testing, but due to recent legislation they cannot offer birth control-
http://www.maricopa.gov/publichealth/services/std/outreach.aspx

Go here if you are needing public assistance [http://www.arizonaselfhelp.org/]

For the U.S.

Free or sliding-scale clinics

http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/Search_HCC.aspx

http://www.doctoroz.com/clinics

Planned Parenthood
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

They can give info on free clinics anywhere, and free meds:
http://www.redcross.org/

There's more, but I'm sure we all know how to use the internet by now