Advocacy Research Help, Please

[hJoychick]

So, I am going back to school (I'm a masochist, I know!) for my PhD in Public Health with an emphasis on Community Health and Education. One of my thoughts is to do my dissertation on something STI related, particularly to herpes.

Can you help me out? What are your burning questions and issues with herpes? What do you think could be done better and smarter in the community in terms of educating people?

For instance, the other day, I was visiting coworkers and they got to talking about a girl they knew who really REALLY liked a guy and dated him several time and then he had "the talk" with her. The group acknowledged him ("kudos to the guy for telling her before they got real close and/or intimate"), but all said in knee jerk reaction "oh he has to go bye-bye". I made the comment that it was very brave of him to do tell her and to be rejected out of hand (she left before dinner was served and left the information he had gotten for her behind) had to have hurt. They thought I was being too soft. All I could think was that we really need to increase awareness in the mainstream community about STI's and how common they are. Oy!

So tell me what you are thinking .. what gets you .. what you wish was happening in the community, please. I appreciate your help!
Janice

[Angela]

Would you like me to blog this information?

We might be able to get more participation if I do..

Let me know,

Angela

[hJoychick]

Yes, that would be GREAT!

Let me know what you think too.
Janice

[LustforLife]

personally, i think the biggest boost would come from an ad campaign that specifically stated that oral cold sores are herpes. lot's of people are just told "cold sore", and have no understanding about transmission. if the valtrex folk made a commercial about oral herpes, and how you can transmit it to your kids (or anyone) by a simple kiss, well, there'd be a hue and cry. it all goes back to "good herpes/bad herpes". really, no difference, other than how you get it. soooo silly.

my own personal experience: i don't sleep around, but i have kissed maybe 30 guys in the past 2 years. statistically, 90% had hsv1. let's be kind and just assume 20% did. even so, nary a one mentioned hsv1 before kissing me. i don't have it, don't want it, and detest the apparent double standard. it's not ok. my guess is, they're just uninformed. so, a national campaign could only help them see they're infectious.

i recently saw an example. this hotel receptionist had a band-aid partially covering what could only be a severe herpes ob on her upper lip. i wanted to ask her if she'd told her family, friends they could catch it...or if she even knew. but, i didn't. maybe i should have?

[Angela]

The coldsore commercials definitely irritate me.

I was told that the reason they market the term "cold sore" is because they feel that is what most people relate to being able to find medication, etc.

Ok, I posted a blog and have it set up to publish on September 16th.

I hope that it helps get the word out on what you're trying to do.

Angela

[cocogrrl]

Kinda off-topic but I'd like to address the situation that lead to the issue.

I've come to the point where it's better for me to date someone with herpes. Many people feel that if you only date people with herpes you're missing out but they're totally wrong, IMO. Especially when 1 in 4 people have either/both types 1 and 2 (correct me if I'm wrong here) it doesn't seem like I'll be missing out on dating honest people who have herpes.

As far as the date described above, the guy did the right thing by disclosing but he would have saved himself embarrassment if he disclosed it somewhere public with a little more privacy.

[Angela]

Well, you feel it's better to date people that have herpes. Others feel it's better to keep the margin of hope just a tad bit wider by not labeling others. We don't want people to label us yet we choose to label others?

I think if dating only people that have herpes is what ultimately works for you then that's great. I personally don't feel people should limit their options, judge a book by it's cover OR use labels when it comes to love.

But that's just me.

Angela

[half_full]

What are your burning questions and issues with herpes?

Herpes IS a burning issue, literally! lol (sorry, I have kind of an odd sense of humor sometimes).

But on a more serious note, I'd like to see the public be more educated about transmission of the virus...that someone can be contagious even if there aren't any visible symptoms. And on the flip side, just because someone has herpes doesn't automatically mean you'll get it (the old "Can I get it from sitting on a toilet seat?" question).

[thirtyplusyears]

Maybe it works for some people, but I have always been very put off by the whole idea of "herpes dating." To me it communicates that we really are damaged goods and that people with herpes should just keep to themselves. There are so many more reasons to be together or not be together than that.

I was horrified by the story that hJoychick told about the gossip among the coworkers. You mean he told this girl and then she just went back and blabbed it to everybody?

I've always wondered about the whole herpes/cold sore thing, too. I've seen people walking around with a big cold sore, and even announce to everyone, oh, I have a cold sore. At least if I have one it's hidden. I've always wondered... people with genital herpes are told they must always use condoms because the virus is always there even when we don't have an outbreak. I wonder what would happen if they said that anyone who'd ever had a coldsore should never kiss anyone without latex between their lips!

[Elizabeth]

There are so many more reasons to be together or not be together than that.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[Angela]

I've always wondered... people with genital herpes are told they must always use condoms because the virus is always there even when we don't have an outbreak.

The virus is not always active and present on the surface of the skin and we are not always 100% contagious at all times. When the virus is not active and present on the surface it sleeps in the nerve ganglia close to the spine either at the top or bottom depending on the location.

I know you already know that but just felt the need to make it clear just in case there were any newbies out there reading it and taking what you wrote the wrong way.

I do agree with the overall premise of your post though..

Angela