People who date in today’s society must worry considerably about sexually transmitted diseases. I’m sure a man or woman does not want to get involved with a person unless they know something about the person’s “sexual health.” I cannot see any person who is going out on a date asking the person, “Do you have a sexually transmitted disease?” They could very well get an unexpected reply that they don’t want to hear or a big fat lie.
Some people may want to date a Christian, a millionaire or a vegetarian and many are interested in connecting with a person with the same sexually transmitted diseases. Believe it or not, there are “dating websites” that are geared toward connecting people with those who suffer from the same type sexual diseases.
Health experts are concerned about those people who want to date people who share the same type sexually transmitted disease they have because they may not realize they could have different types of strains. These experts have a fear that might lead to infections with multiple strains of herpes, HPV or HIV, a development that could heighten the health dangers to the daters.
Dr. Andrew Sikora, a head and neck cancer specialist who deals with cases caused by HPV has said, “Whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea, it certainly should not be a substitute for using all the same precautions you would use when dating outside the website.
When a person has two strains of HPV it can increase the person’s likelihood of cancer, according to Sikora.
In my opinion having a desire to share sex with a person who has the same type sexually transmitted disease I have would scare the wits out of me especially after reading this article. To me, this would be taking your life in your own hands…I certainly wouldn’t want to die from cancer and I wouldn’t want to take this kind of risk.
Dr. Michael Wohlfeiler, the Chief medical officer of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, stated having two strains of HIV could be dangerous if one partner has been able to control his or her HIV with medication, getting a second strain could replace the first strain and be resistant to medication.
Wohlfeiler practices HIV medicine in the Miami area, and he stated his HIV-positive patients have told him that they don’t practice safe sex. Additionally he said, people who go to these dating websites often think they don’t have to worry about spreading the virus to their partners because their partners already have the same sexual diseases.
The spokeswoman Jenelle Marie for PositiveSingles.Com stated the site is a great way for people with STDs to get back into the dating world after their diagnosis. This site was founded in 2001, it was one of the first STD-positive dating websites and it has about 800,000 members. There are others site such as STDMatch.net, Mpwh.net, and PositiveLove.com.
Jenelle said, “A few users of the Websites have found love while other have found good friends understanding what it is like to live with an STD.”
Jenelle also said, “It was a good way for me to get my feet wet again.” She began using the site after she was diagnosed with a strain of herpes; and she continued, “It can be such a traumatic experience contracting an STD in the first place and it’s a good way to get back a person’s confidence. I’ve found it rewarding because I “still” am sexy and I’m “still” attractive.”
Jenelle stated that PositiveSingles.com is not a place to assist in arranging unsafe sex encounters for people who have the same STDs; and she stated, users “still” need to be wary before giving out personal information, and the people need to be aware the STDs are self-reported, not verified.
Barbara Kasey Smith is the writer of this article based on an ABC News.Com report.
Source:
ABC News.Com