An Ounce of Prevention
Authors: Edward W. Hook
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Editorials15 November 2005An Ounce of PreventionEdward W. Hook III, MDEdward W. Hook III, MDFrom the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Jefferson County Department of Health, Birmingham, AL 35294-0007.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-143-10-200511150-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV infections, are a global health priority. There are more than 20 sexually transmitted bacterial and viral infections. Each causes substantial long- and short-term morbidity and, in the case of HIV, mortality for infected persons, for their sexual partners, and for children born to infected mothers (1). Sexually transmitted diseases are a causal factor in the pathogenesis of squamous-cell carcinoma of the genital tract, a leading preventable cause of tubal factor infertility and ectopic pregnancy; are associated with adverse outcomes of pregnancy; and amplify risk for acquisition and transmission of HIV.Efforts to control STDs ...References1. Institute of Medicine. The Hidden Epidemic. Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Eng TR, Butler WT, eds. Washington, DC: National Academy Pr; 1997. Google Scholar2. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health and Department of Health and Human Services. Workshop summary: scientific evidence on condom effectiveness for sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention. Herndon, VA: 2000. Accessed at www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf. Google Scholar3. Crosby R, DiClemente RJ, Holtgrave DR, Wingood GM. Design, measurement, and analytical considerations for testing hypotheses relative to condom effectiveness against non-viral STIs [Editorial]. Sex Transm Infect. 2002;78:228-31. [PMID: 12181456] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Macaluso M, Kelaghan J, Artz L, Austin H, Fleenor M, Hook EW, et al. Mechanical failure of the latex condom in a cohort of women at high STD risk. Sex Transm Dis. 1999;26:450-8. [PMID: 10494936] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Warner L, Macaluso M, Austin HD, Kleinbaum DK, Artz L, Fleenor ME, et al. Application of the case-crossover design to reduce unmeasured confounding in studies of condom effectiveness. Am J Epidemiol. 2005;161:765-73. [PMID: 15800269] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Wald A, Langenberg AG, Link K, Izu AE, Ashley R, Warren T, et al. Effect of condoms on reducing the transmission of herpes simplex virus type 2 from men to women. JAMA. 2001;285:3100-6. [PMID: 11427138] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Wald A, Langenberg AGM, Krantz E, Douglas JM, Handsfield H, DiCarlo RP, et al. The relationship of condom use and HSV acquisition. Ann Intern Med. 2005;143:707-13. LinkGoogle Scholar8. Mertz GJ, Benedetti J, Ashley R, Selke SA, Corey L. Risk factors for the sexual transmission of genital herpes. Ann Intern Med. 1992;116:197-202. [PMID: 1309413] LinkGoogle Scholar9. Fleming DT, McQuillan GM, Johnson RE, Nahmias AJ, Aral SO, Lee FK, et al. Herpes simplex virus type 2 in the United States, 1976 to 1994. N Engl J Med. 1997;337:1105-11. [PMID: 9329932] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Corey L, Wald A, Patel R, Sacks SL, Tyring SK, Warren T, et al. Once-daily valacyclovir to reduce the risk of transmission of genital herpes. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:11-20. [PMID: 14702423] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Edward W. HookIII, MDAffiliations: From the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Jefferson County Department of Health, Birmingham, AL 35294-0007.Acknowledgment: The author thanks Ward Cates for his helpful review of this paper.Grant Support: In part by contract NIH-NIAID-DMID-04-09 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinical Trials Group.Disclosures: Grants received: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinical Trials Group.Corresponding Author: Edward W. Hook III, MD, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 703 19th Street South, ZRB 242, Birmingham, AL 35294-0007; e-mail, ehook@uab.edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Relationship between Condom Use and Herpes Simplex Virus Acquisition Anna Wald , Andria G.M. Langenberg , Elizabeth Krantz , John M. Douglas Jr , H. Hunter Handsfield , Richard P. DiCarlo , Adaora A. Adimora , Allen E. Izu , Rhoda Ashley Morrow , and Lawrence Corey Metrics Cited byPelvic Inflammatory Disease 15 November 2005Volume 143, Issue 10 Page: 751-752 Keywords Genital anatomy HIV HIV infections HIV prevention Infectious diseases Morbidity Pediatric infections Pregnancy Sexually transmitted diseases Viral transmission and infection ePublished: 15 November 2005 Issue Published: 15 November 2005 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...