More V.D. Cases Found
By SHELLEY HANSONWHEELING - Two cases of syphilis have been confirmed outside of Ohio County - but at least one case of the sexually transmitted disease is unrelated to Ohio County's outbreak.
Howard Gamble, Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department administrator, said Friday that his investigators have determined a case in Hancock County is not connected to those in Ohio County.
To date, 10 cases have been confirmed in Ohio County, with one of the latest two being in a 17-year-old girl. Zero to two cases annually is considered normal for the county.
''As far as we can tell, it's not related to our case. ... It doesn't have similar contacts,'' Gamble noted.
Another confirmed case was in Jefferson County, but Gamble said since that county is out of his investigators' jurisdiction they do not know if it is related to Ohio County's cases.
Syphilis is an STD that can be cured with antibiotics; if left untreated, it can cause organ damage in later stages of the disease. It is caused by bacterium Treponema pallidum.
Gamble noted as of Friday no new cases had been confirmed in Ohio County, but test results on a man are expected Wednesday.
To date this year, no cases of syphilis have been reported in Belmont, Monroe, Harrison, Marshall, Brooke, Wetzel or Tyler counties, health officials said. But chlamydia appeared to be the most commonly reported STD in each of those counties. None mentioned new cases of HIV or AIDS in their counties.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia is a common STD caused by bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It is known as the ''silent'' STD. Many people never develop symptoms, which can include, for both men and women, abnormal discharge and burning during urination. Like syphilis, chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics.
Hancock County's syphilis case was confirmed this week, said nurse Sophie Eastham. She declined to disclose the person's age or gender.
''That's the first in years since I've been here,'' Eastham noted.
In addition to syphilis, she noted her health department conducts free clinics by appointment for HIV, hepatitis B and C, chlamydia and gonnorrhea.
''Chlamydia is the most common, but we don't see that much,'' Eastham said, noting the test for the STD requires only a urine sample.
In Jefferson County, Cindy Deavers, an infectious disease nurse at the county health department, said one case of syphilis - in a 24-year-old woman - was confirmed in her county in June. She noted, however, that her health department doesn't limit services to county residents. People from throughout the region come to her health department for testing, including from Pennsylvania.
''We've had a lot of chlamydia this year - 40 cases this year. And four cases of gonorrhea,'' she noted. ''We've also had a lot of hepatitis C - 14 cases from January to September.''
In Belmont County, infectious disease nurse Lynn Schrum said no cases of syphilis have been reported to her county health department.
''We have been notified of two contacts - people who have been in contact with someone with syphilis,'' Schrum said.
She noted her health department does not conduct local STD case management, that the Ohio Department of Health handles it. Her health department offers testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea only. By law, however, doctors and hospitals must report STD cases to health departments. In the month of September, there were seven cases of chlamydia reported in Belmont County; in September 2007 there were 11 cases, she noted.
In Marshall County, Administrator Ronda Francis said her health department hasn't had a syphilis cases since 2006.
''People have been through, but nobody tested positive,'' she said.
She noted since word of Ohio County's syphilis outbreak, more people have come to the health department for testing, though she did not have an exact number.
''We don't limit who we see to county residents. They could be from the state of Ohio,'' Francis said.
George Nowels, syphilis elimination project coordinator for the Ohio Department of Health, said as of Oct. 23 there were no Harrison County syphilis cases reported to him. Harrison County Health Department officials referred questions to Nowels.
In Brooke County, nurse Sandy Rogers said no syphilis cases had been reported to her county health department. Nurse Beth Swager noted the most common STDs in her county are chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Karen Cain, clinic supervisor at the Wetzel-Tyler County Health Department, said there have been no syphilis cases reported to her health department. Chlamydia cases, she noted, are seen sporadically.
''We offer free family planning, and condoms are free,'' Cain said, noting condoms are given out in brown paper bags.
Health department Nursing Director Denise Kachel said there have been no syphilis cases in Monroe County. She noted since January, four chlamydia cases have been reported to her health department. She noted Monroe County does not conduct family planning or STD clinics.
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wonderwhy
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11-26-08 2:50 PM
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HAHAHA! thanks for making me laugh out loud, that is how i figured you out in the first place.! the laugh out loud reaction!
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Demgal
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11-26-08 10:56 AM
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wonder, just google the three terms "con*** cucumber video." You can find the story on several websites - washingtonpost and others. On their website, Montgomery County Public Schools posted their decision to suspend the use of the tape "Protect Yourself." You can even watch the video on youtube -- just search youtube for those terms. Don't watch it too many times, though, 'cause you'll go blind.
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wonderwhy
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11-26-08 8:07 AM
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where do you get this information. everyone has this story, but i see no site to back up these ridiculous claims
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Demgal
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11-26-08 12:00 AM
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wonder, that con on a cuke video was produced for a Maryland school district to be shown to high school kids 10th grade and older. I find it shocking, as cukes can be far more cheaply preserved by using ziplock bags.
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wonderwhy
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11-25-08 5:45 AM
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Ellis- i would like to know where you get your information about teaching 8 year olds about con on a cucumber. that is grossly exagerrated at best. why would you pout that on here? for the shock and awe no doubt, but it is not true. ! aids is not a gay diesase. what about majic johnson? it can be transmitted thru hetrosexual sex, so again, your point? or is it you just have a phobia against gays? and blacks? your rant is wrong, biased and phobic
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EllisWyatt
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11-24-08 6:31 PM
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If you choose to engage in immoral and risky behaviors, you choose to face the consequences. We should be teaching kids to respect themselves. Instead, the liberals have managed to kick God out of public schools while providing sex education classes for 8 year olds and demonstrations of putting a ****** on a cucumber. AIDS strikes Gays and Drug Users, predominantly. If you do not do drugs or engage in risky sex, and do not get a blood transfusion, your chances of getting AIDS are ZERO. A few years back, they had a multi-cultural commercial of mixed race kids telling us that AIDS was an equal opportunity disease. ********! Don't shoot up and don't take it in the shoot and you will not get AIDS. I also remember a story about a dozen or so nice, clean cut white girls from good families in New York who all got AIDS from the same semi-retarded black guy. Where are the parents? What were these stupid girls thinking? Getting back at your parents isn't worth dying.
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HercX007
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11-24-08 6:12 PM
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Yeah I see that and yet it allowed the first person to post to take the Lord's name in vain. Amazing double standards from the paper. And who gives a rat's ass what the*****its called. VD, STD....what difference does it make? It all means the same*****thing! Obsolete term in the medical community...what kind of crap is that!? Dudes need to zip up and the "ladies" need to keep their skirts down, that's what the problem is. And for some people's information, Syphilis, Gonorhea and chlamydia are only curable if the person goes for treatment. Sometimes it's too late. I work in the medical field and I can tell you these diseases are STILL associated with immorality. If you weren't putting your tool or vajayjay where it didn't belong you wouldn't get it and give it away too. That's another problem this world has, no accountability. You play around, you pay for it!
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Kup4036
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11-24-08 4:20 PM
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OMG!!! this stupid website blocked out the word C^ondoms!!!!
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Kup4036
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11-24-08 4:19 PM
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couldnt agree more LTTRL. dont pay your taxes, get a STD!!!! maybe the Feds will allow people to deduct ******s from their taxes!!!
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good4u
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11-24-08 12:37 PM
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Its the gift that keeps on giving! Keep that in mind for the tough to buy for on your holiday list!
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wheelingwas
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11-24-08 11:29 AM
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Does this mean the taxpayers will have to pay higher health premiums for the Wheeling PD?
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good4u
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11-24-08 11:22 AM
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sorry I meant Nasty
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good4u
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11-24-08 11:22 AM
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wrap it up u neasty freaks!
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wv26003
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11-24-08 11:14 AM
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Abstinence-only education seems to be working SO well, huh?
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acousticportal
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11-24-08 9:51 AM
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*****Bush!
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kmd0302
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11-24-08 9:40 AM
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You would think that this was the "free love" era, everybody having sex with anybody. It used to be that Wednesdays at the Health Dept were for the ladies of the night, whether they were from the streets or the brothels. What does this say about society today? When it comes down to it WRAP THAT PUPPY
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Libbyd
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11-24-08 9:32 AM
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It is stunning to see a front page story about "syphilis" in 2008! Syphilis is curable. Gonnorrhea is curable. And chlamydia is curable. There are other Sexually Transmitted Diseases that are NOT curable. Maybe treatable, but not curable. Human papillomavirus (HPV - Genital Warts), and Genital Herpes are among them. "VD" is an obsolete term in the medical community. "SYPHILIS" and "VENEREAL DISEASE" were once synonymous with immorality.... and a terrible stigma! Certainly, anyone who is sexually active needs to be informed and behave responsibly, but to focus on words such as "VD" and "syphilis" that are relicts of the past is not the way to go. No STD is a good thing, but syphilis is not the worst.
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armra1967
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11-24-08 8:29 AM
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Who calls it VD anymore? Isn't it 2008 almost 2009? How about STD? And why would this make the front page for christ's sake?
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