The Latest

Hepatitis C Not a Life Sentence, So Act Early: Doctor
The earlier the treatment of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) -- before significant liver damage occurs -- the better the outcome, according to results from an international study.
The findings of the CHARIOT study, which enrolled 900 patients ...

Oral Sex Virus Boosts Tonsil Cancer Rates in Sweden
Since the 1970s, the number of tonsil cancer diagnoses in Sweden has tripled, and many are the result of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection spread through oral sex, say researchers. The cancer has typically been associated with smoking and heavy dr...

Oral Cancer in Men Associated With HPV
Two new reports shed additional light on the link between human papillomavirus and oral cancers. HPV can enter the mouth during oral sex, and an earlier study estimated that 38 percent of oral squamous-cell cancers were HPV-associated. But in a bit o...

DNA Testing Method Can Identify Twice as Many Throat and Rectal Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Infections as Traditional Bacterial Culture
A new study shows that a more efficient STD screening method -- called a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) -- can detect at least twice as many oropharyngeal (throat) and rectal gonorrhea and chlamydia infections as a bacterial culture test, the...

STD Testing Among MSM Less Frequent than Recommended by Public Health Guidelines
Two CDC studies of STD screening among men who have sex with men (MSM) found that testing rates are significantly lower than recommended in public health guidelines. For sexually active MSM, CDC recommends annual HIV and syphilis blood testing, annua...

CDC-Funded California Program Achieves High Rates of Chlamydia Screening in High School Health Centers; Highest Infection Rates Found Among African-American Teens
Previous studies have shown that young women aged 15 to 19 have the highest rates of chlamydia infection in the country, and CDC recommends that all sexually active women age 25 and under be screened for chlamydia every year (and more frequently if t...

"Express Visit" Option Leads to Significantly Increased STD Testing and Treatment at New York City Clinics
In response to increasing patient demand for STD screening and limited physician resources, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) made an "Express Visit" option a routine part of care at 10 STD clinics in 2006. With Ex...

The Failed HIV Vaccine, the HPV Vaccine Hullabaloo and the Future of HIV Prevention
Note that the STEP Study data analyzed here come from a public meeting that took place November 7, 2007 under the auspices of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The presentation slides are viewable at ww...

The Role of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 and Other Genital Infections in the Acquisition of HIV-1 Among High-Risk Women in Northern Tanzania
In the current study, investigators examined the role of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and other genital infections on HIV-1 incidence in a cohort study of female hotel/bar workers in Moshi, Tanzania, from 2002 to 2005.
Among 845 HIV-negative ...

Condom Effectiveness for Prevention of Chlamydia trachomatis Infection
While a growing body of research is increasingly demonstrating the effectiveness of condoms in preventing STDs, the current analysis aimed to provide a disease-specific estimate for the effectives of condoms in preventing Chlamydia trachomatis infect...