Medical technology is constantly advancing. Research into sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is no exception. We, an std clinic in singapore, have rounded up some of the latest news surrounding STDs.
January 2018: HIV testing among social and risk networks prove useful in identifying new HIV patients
A study led by the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research (New York University) has found that tracing social and risk networks are effective in identifying new cases of HIV.
Social and risk networks of patients who have been infected with HIV tend to be at a higher risk of an HIV infection, as myths surrounding HIV are likely to spread around the same social circles. Organisations can trace social networks of patients in order to find people with a higher risk of HIV. This can reduce wastage of test kits, which can be expensive in certain countries.
January 2018: A strand of herpes virus is associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma, a type of cancer
Researchers in UCLA have found the first description of a part of a herpes virus. This particular part is associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma, a type of cancer. There are a total of 8 types of herpes viruses, and this type of virus is called “Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus” (KSHV), and is one of only two herpes viruses that can cause cancer in humans.
KSHV was discovered in the mid-1990s during the AIDS epidemic. Then, over half of the population had contracted the virus. It is still the most common cancer-causing virus in patients who have AIDS. This new discovery provides the potential roadmap to anti-viral drugs that can combat herpes and other viruses, one of which already affects over 90 percent of the adult population. There is currently no cure for HPV.
March 2018: Skin cell culture developed to study early stages of HPV
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) typically causes no symptoms, but have been linked to cervical, throat and other types of cancers. The study of early stages of HPV has been difficult because scientists could not replicate the high infection rates that a patient will undergo within laboratory constraints. This new approach developed by scientists at Louisiana State University makes use of cell cultures in order to allow for higher infection rates.
With this new finding, scientists can now uncover further insights about HPV and its link to cancer.
March 2018: New strand of super-gonorrhoea cannot be cured by antibiotics
A man in the UK has been infected with the “worst-ever” case of gonorrhoea, according to the BBC. Public health officials claim that this is the first time they have encountered gonorrhoea that seems to be resistant to common antibiotics.
Experts say this is the first time a case has displayed such high level of resistance to both of these drugs and other common antibiotics, though the disease has been steadily developing immunity to drugs. Gonorrhoea is a venereal STD caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae and can lead to complications such as deafness and blindness.
