by: 
ekimx425
ekimx425Friday, October 15, 2010 at 9:31:00 PM EDT
Facebook
Spoiler alert!
Last nights episode of The Office addressed some pretty complex issues in the typical ridiculous manner that the characters do. Last night Michael Scott got herpes. A quick rundown of what happened. Michael Scott gets a mysterious lesion on his lip, which his offices-mates identify as a cold sore. Upon learning that cold sores are herpes Dwight insists that Michael go on a rampage of contacting all his previous lovers to notify them and identify the “culprit” who may have infected him. At the same time Meredith announces to the office that she has genital herpes, which ignites a quiet wave of disgust and upset across the office.
This episode addressed a lot of common concerns; reactions and misunderstandings people have about herpes. So here are a few facts:
- Herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) spread through skin-to-skin contact.
- Herpes is a viral STI, meaning like other STIs that start with an H, you have it for life. (The other H’s are HIV, HPV and Hepatitis). While herpes cannot be cured it can be treated with antiviral medications that can shorten and prevent outbreaks and reduce the likelihood of transmission.
- There are 2 strains of herpes. Herpes simplex 1 appears most often as cold sores on the mouth and approximately 70% of Americans have cold sores. Herpes simplex 2 is genital herpes and approximately 1 in 6 Americans are infected. Both herpes simplex 1 and 2 can be contracted in either the mouth or genitals.
- How do you get herpes?
- Herpes Simplex 1 cold sores are most often contracted not through sexual contact. May children become infected in daycare, by an infected adult kissing them, or from sharing drinks or utensils with someone who is infected.
- Herpes, either simplex 1 or simplex 2 can occur in the genitals through skin to skin contact with an infected person. This can include oral sex, anal sex, vaginal sex and in some cases could possibly include digital sex (fingering).
- Due to aviral shedding herpes can be transmitted even when an infected person is not having an outbreak. Which means that if a person has ever had a cold sore on their mouth they could transmit it to their partner during oral sex, even if they are not currently having an outbreak. However that likelihood is fairly low.
However, based on questions I hear many people asking, for an STI with relatively mild but however permanent symptoms should individuals disclose their status to previous and future partners? Especially since such how percentages of the population may have already come into contact with the virus?
This issue was addressed in Dan Savage’s Savage Love Cast Episode 195, released on July 13, 2010. At approximately the 11 minute marker into the podcast a caller discusses his concern of disclosing a herpes status to partners. Dan acknowledged that disclosing by negatively impact individuals’ sex lives, and pointing out that “Herpes is not a big deal!”
I want to know what you think? Personally I think that disclosing STI statuses is very important. But how do we as safer sex advocates work to fight the stigma present against people who have STIs. The issue of stigma was very present in this week’s episode of The Office, and Andy even tried to address the issues of stigma against people with STIs while still encouraging safer sex? A lot of times I think the message we put out there is have safer sex to avoid the big, bad, scary STIs. But what sort of message does that put out there about people with STIs?
And considering that when having vaginal-penile intercourse condoms may not even fully protect against herpes because it is transmitted via skin-to-skin contact.
What sort of message should we put out there about herpes? And other STIs with fairly mild side effects? Is Dan Savage right, is herpes no big deal?
Overall, I think for Michael Scott it probably would have been important to got to a doctor first to ensure that the sore on his lip was herpes, however the show while entertaining as usual, brought up some great issues and really got the people thinking about important issues like safer sex and STIs.
Get email updates and action alerts:
by GarrettMize
by AFY_Samantha
by AFY_Samantha
by AFY_Samantha
by AFY_Samantha
I think that if partners are at the stage to engage in sexual behavior, then they should be disclose any and all potential risks that will be involved. Not only will it promote honest communication, but it will foster a sense of trust in the sense that you are looking out for your partner. Not disclosing could ruin everything.
Furthermore, I feel like tackling STI stigma starts in a comprehensive classroom setting. When people know what sti's are, perhaps they will be more likely to understand that an infection is not a joke, and that partners CAN still have a healthy sex life w/ an STI.
And I think you are right, in an ideal comprehensive sex education classroom students would learn more specifics about how STIs like herpes are transmitted, the side effects, and about the relatively high rates of the STI in Americans. However most people in this day and age do not have that information, hence why STIs like herpes are being spread like wildfire. On that same episode of the Savage Lovecast, Dan and his guest who is the director of a Planned Parenthood in Alaska, discuss a similar situation with HPV. Dan points out that maybe it isn't mandatory for a partner disclose that they have HPV when it could ruin their sex life and they are probably only exposing their partner to a virus that they may have already had contact with and have a decent chance of never seeing any side effects from.
While of course that made me uncomfortable because as safer sex advocates I feel we are all sticklers for using protection every time and always disclosing, I thought there was some reality to the point he was making. And many people might find his advice and reasoning more realistic than my stickler perspective.
Another interesting thought about disclosure becomes pretty complex here in Ohio when it comes to HIV. In Ohio there is a law making it a felony for an HIV positive person to not disclose their status to their partner before engaging in unprotected sex. And while I think disclosure is necessary, I think the responsibility for engaging in safer sex should always be on both partners, not just the infected one. When two people make a decision not to use barrier methods, that decision is both of theirs (assuming the sexual contact is consensual), but this law only holds one partner accountable.
Some interesting things to think about..
Thoughts?