Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
duce a destructive arthritis; involvement of the heart can cause disabling cardiac disease.
Infections also occur in other tissues.
Unfortunately, strains of gonorrhea resistant to penicillin have emerged in recent years
and are now present worldwide. In wilderness situations all gonorrhea should be assumed
to be penicillin resistant and treated with a single intramuscular injection of ceftriaxone
(Rocephin®). Alternatively, doxycycline (Vibramycin®) can be given orally.
Genital Herpes
Despite the attention it has attracted, genital herpes infection is little different from
herpes occurring on the lips (fever blisters). Although the genital infection is transmitted
by sexual contact, it has the same tendency to recur in the same location as oral herpes.
Because the tissues are somewhat more sensitive, infections on the genitalia may be more
uncomfortablethanthosearoundthemouth.Nocurativetreatmenthasyetbeendeveloped;
acyclovir (Zovirax®) does shorten the symptomatic period and duration of virus shedding.
Other Considerations
Everyone with a suspected or known STD should consult a physician for treatment. An
untreated infection can be disastrous. The ease with which syphilis and gonorrhea can be
treated has created a lack of concern for all such infections. To encourage individuals to
obtain the therapy they need, many states have laws that permit physicians to treat minors
without reporting the infection to parents or guardians.
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