7 ms·

I didn’t read this as advocating for everyone to run to get tested immediately. This is more a call to healthcare professionals to advocate for this testing. O

I didn’t read this as advocating for everyone to run to get tested immediately. This is more a call to healthcare professionals to advocate for this testing. One way this can roll out is when sexually active adults who are considered low risk for HepC hopefully do their regular STI screening, either they or their healthcare provider can request a HepC test.

astura 7y ago
Are "regular STI screenings" common in the general population (not sex workers) in absence of symptoms?
- zeta0134 7y ago
  I'm not sure about the general population, but this seems to be quite common in the homosexual population, especially among males. The big risk there continues to be HIV, but if you're going to get screened regularly anyway, might as well check for everything else. (Source: I am a homosexual male.) I'm not sure there should be all that much stigma attached to it honestly. There are enough non-STI ways to contract some of these diseases that I think it makes sense for even married, faithful, and generally low risk partners to get a round of testing every once in a while.
  - barry-cotter 7y ago
    > There are enough non-STI ways to contract some of these diseases that I think it makes sense for even married, faithful, and generally low risk partners to get a round of testing every once in a while. Really? Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis? How can you get those without having sex?
    - zeta0134 7y ago
      I'm not a doctor, so take this with a grain of salt, but generally something classified as an STI has difficulty surviving outside the human body. It's not impossible, and anything that allows that pathogen to get into the bloodstream is a risk factor for the infection to spread. Things like blood transfusions, or unclean practices like needle sharing, could all contribute. Sex is by far the most common means of transmission, but it isn't the only way. It couldn't possibly be; otherwise how would the first human have become infected?
    - klyrs 7y ago
      Bad news on chlamydia: it can infect the eye and spread through personal contact.
- barry-cotter 7y ago
  Some people won’t have unprotected sex with a new partner unless they’ve both been tested. Some people know they’re in a non sex worker risk group and get tested without symptoms.

astura 7y ago

Are "regular STI screenings" common in the general population (not sex workers) in absence of symptoms?

zeta0134 7y ago
I'm not sure about the general population, but this seems to be quite common in the homosexual population, especially among males. The big risk there continues to be HIV, but if you're going to get screened regularly anyway, might as well check for everything else. (Source: I am a homosexual male.) I'm not sure there should be all that much stigma attached to it honestly. There are enough non-STI ways to contract some of these diseases that I think it makes sense for even married, faithful, and generally low risk partners to get a round of testing every once in a while.
- barry-cotter 7y ago
  > There are enough non-STI ways to contract some of these diseases that I think it makes sense for even married, faithful, and generally low risk partners to get a round of testing every once in a while. Really? Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis? How can you get those without having sex?
  - zeta0134 7y ago
    I'm not a doctor, so take this with a grain of salt, but generally something classified as an STI has difficulty surviving outside the human body. It's not impossible, and anything that allows that pathogen to get into the bloodstream is a risk factor for the infection to spread. Things like blood transfusions, or unclean practices like needle sharing, could all contribute. Sex is by far the most common means of transmission, but it isn't the only way. It couldn't possibly be; otherwise how would the first human have become infected?
  - klyrs 7y ago
    Bad news on chlamydia: it can infect the eye and spread through personal contact.
barry-cotter 7y ago
Some people won’t have unprotected sex with a new partner unless they’ve both been tested. Some people know they’re in a non sex worker risk group and get tested without symptoms.