Microbicide & Safe Sex (11)

Pubic Lice

Pubic Lice also called crab lice or "crabs," pubic lice are parasitic insects found primarily in the pubic or genital area of humans. Pubic lice infestation is found worldwide and occurs in all races, ethnic groups, and levels of society.

Pubic lice usually are found in the genital area on pubic hair; but they may occasionally be found on other coarse body hair, such as hair on the legs, armpits, mustache, beard, eyebrows, or eyelashes. Pubic lice on the eyebrows or eyelashes of children may be a sign of sexual exposure or abuse.

Pubic lice have forms: the egg (also called a nit), the nymph, and the adult.

Nit: Nits are lice eggs. They can be hard to see and are found firmly attached to the hair shaft. They are oval and usually yellow to white. Pubic lice nits take about 6-10 days to hatch.

Nymph: The nymph is an immature louse that hatches from the nit (egg). A nymph looks like an adult pubic louse but it is smaller. Pubic lice nymphs take about 2-3 weeks after hatching to mature into adults capable of reproducing. To live, a nymph must feed on blood.

Adult: The adult pubic louse resembles a miniature crab when viewed through a strong magnifying glass. Pubic lice have six legs; their two front legs are very large and look like the pincher claws of a crab. This is how they got the nickname "crabs." Pubic lice are tan to grayish-white in color. Females lay nits and are usually larger than males. To live, lice must feed on blood. If the louse falls off a person, it dies within 1-2 days.

Microbicide & Safe Sex (9)

HPV

Human papillomavirus or HPV, is the name for a group of viruses that includes more than 100 types. More than 40 types of HPV can be passed through sexual contact.

The types of HPV that infect the genital area are called genital HPV. Over half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives. But most people never know it. This is because HPV most often has no symptoms and goes away on its own.

HPV is passed on through genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex. HPV may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. HPV can be passed on between straight and same-sex partners—even when the infected partner has no signs or symptoms.

A person can have HPV even if years have passed since he or she had sexual contact with an infected person. Most infected persons do not realize they are infected or that they are passing the virus on to a sex partner. It is also possible to get more than one type of HPV. Very rarely, a pregnant woman with genital HPV can pass HPV to her baby during delivery. In these cases, the child can develop Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP), a rare condition in which warts grow in the throat. In children, this is also referred to as juvenile-onset Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (JORRP).

Microbicide & Safe Sex (6)

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. Most adults who get hepatitis B have it for a short time and then get better. This is called acute hepatitis B.
You can have hepatitis B and not know it. You may not have symptoms. If you do, they can make you feel like you have the flu. But as long as you have the virus, you can spread it to others.
Sometimes the virus causes a long-term infection, called chronic hepatitis B. Over time, it can damage your liver. Babies and young children infected with the virus are more likely to get chronic hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person.
You may get hepatitis B if you:
==> Have sex with an infected person without using a condom.
==> Share needles (used for injecting drugs) with an infected person.
==> Get a tattoo or piercing with tools that were not cleaned well.
==> Share personal items like razors or toothbrushes with an infected person.
==> A mother who has the virus can pass it to her baby during delivery. If you are pregnant and think you may have been exposed to hepatitis B, get tested. If you have the virus, your baby can get shots to help prevent infection with the virus.
You cannot get hepatitis B from casual contact such as hugging, kissing, sneezing, coughing, or sharing food or drinks.

Many people with hepatitis B do not know they have it, because they do not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may just feel like you have the flu. Symptoms include:
# Feeling very tired.
# Mild fever.
# Headache.
# Not wanting to eat.
# Feeling sick to your stomach or vomiting.
# Belly pain.
# Diarrhea or constipation.
# Muscle aches and joint pain.
# Skin rash.
# Yellowish eyes and skin (jaundice). Jaundice usually appears only after other symptoms have started to go away.
Most people with chronic hepatitis B have no symptoms.

A simple blood test can tell your  if you have the hepatitis B virus now.
The Home Bio Hepatitis B test is an easy to use, accurate and reliable assay that will detect antibodies to the hepatitis B virus present in whole blood, serum or plasma.
The test is easy to use and the result is available within minutes – in the privacy of your own home.
Our test kits are the same as those used by doctors and other healthcare professionals to screen for infection with hepatitis. The test is specific for hepatitis B and has an accuracy greater than 99.8%.
You simply prick your finger, using the lancet provided, and transfer a few drops of your blood to the test cassette with the dropper provided. The easy to read result will develop after ten minutes and you will learn your hepatitis B status.

Microbicide & Safe Sex (1)

In this first decade of the 21st century the various risks connected with having sex have (alas) increased.
The figures for HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhoea are all going up. This is almost entirely because so many people – whether they're heterosexuals or homosexuals or 'bi' – don't practise safe sex.

One way to have safer sex is to only have one partner who has no sexually transmitted infections and no other partners than you.

But, this isn't always the safest kind of safer sex. That's because most people don't know when they have infections. They are very likely to pass them on without knowing it.

Another other reason is that some people aren't as honest as they should be. In fact, about 1 out of 3 people will say they don't have an infection when they know they do, just to have sex. So most of us have to find other ways to practice safer sex.

Another way to practice safer sex is to only have sex play that has no risk — or a lower risk — of passing STDs. This means no vaginal or anal intercourse. Many of us find that great sex is about a lot more than a penis going in a vagina or anus. It is about exploring the many other ways you and your partner can turn each other on. Not only is it a way to discover new sexual pleasures, it's also safer.

Safe Sex:
- Reduces our risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
- Using condoms and/or microbicide makes vaginal or anal intercourse safer sex
Although condoms provide the best form of protection for people who are sexually active, using a microbicide will be much safer than nothing for women for whom condom use is unlikely or impossible.

For some women and men, the contraceptive effect of condoms is a major deterrent to use; developing both contraceptive and non-contraceptive microbicides is important. Providers can counsel patients on the use of microbicides in conjunction with condoms for added protection, and as a "backup" method when condom use cannot or does not occur.

Microbicide Delivery system

The past decade has seen several effective anti-HIV-1 agent discoveries, yet microbicides continue to disappoint clinically. Our review expounds the view that unsatisfactory microbicide failures may be a result of inefficient delivery systems employed.

Microbicide delivery devices will be critical in ensuring safe and effective use of microbicide products. The device impacts the product’s overall safety (relationship with product purity and stability, avoidance of local trauma associated with insertion or use), efficacy (consistent delivery of the required amount of product in the intended location), and acceptability (comfort, ease of use, disposability).

Several novel microbicide delivery methods to help reduce cost, ensure microbicide efficacy, and increase user acceptability. Methods include:
• Diaphragm:  This combination of barrier method and microbicide could enable prevention of both pregnancy and disease. Two studies were recently completed. One study assessed gel retention and distribution in the vagina comparing Diaphragm single-sided and double-sided gel delivery to a
vaginal applicator. The second study used the same three gel application modes and evaluated couples’ use acceptability.
• Paper applicator with dosage stop: This user-filled applicator is low cost, easily disposed of, and prevents over-filling, making it an important option for microbicide gel delivery in low-resource settings.
• Rectal applicator: This applicator has been designed specifically for the rectal delivery of microbicide products.

Intravaginal targeting of HIV-1 increases the chances of microbicide success, wherein vaginal micro environmental factors including pH should be maintained at HIV-1 prohibitive acidic levels simultaneously to ward off other sexually transmitted diseases, which compromise vaginal epithelial barrier properties.

Furthermore, choice of receptors to target both on HIV-1 and on target cells is vital in deterring transmission. Appropriate modeling of virus–target cell interactions as well as targeting early stages of the HIV-1 infection accompanied by computation and delivery of appropriate microbicide quantities could revolutionize microbicide research, ultimately delivering a female-controlled HIV-1 prevention modality appropriately.
(Qualitative and quantitative intravaginal targeting: Key to anti-HIV-1 microbicide delivery from test tube to In Vivo success; Viness Pillay,*, Felix Mashingaidze, Yahya E. Choonara, Lisa C. Du Toit, Eckhart Buchmann, Vinesh Maharaj, Valence M. K. Ndesendo, Pradeep Kumar)

More about Microbicides

Microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases are pharmacologic agents and chemical substances that are capable of killing or destroying certain microorganisms that commonly cause human infection (for example, the human immunodeficiency virus).

Microbicides are a diverse group of chemical compounds that exert their activity by a variety of different mechanisms of action. Multiple compounds are being developed and tested for their microbicidal activity in clinical trials. Microbicides can be formulated in various delivery systems including gels, creams, lotions, aerosol sprays, tablets or films (which must be used near the time of sexual intercourse) and sponges and vaginal rings (or other devices that release the active ingredient(s) over a longer period). Some of these agents are being developed for vaginal application, and for rectal use by those engaging in anal sex.

Although there are many approaches to preventing sexually-transmitted diseases in general (and HIV in particular), current methods have not been sufficient to halt the spread of these diseases (particularly among women and people in less-developed nations. Sexual abstinence is not a realistic option for women who want to bear children, or who are at risk of sexual violence. In such situations, the use of microbicides could offer both primary protection (in the absence of condoms) and secondary protection (if a condom breaks or slips off during intercourse). It is hoped that microbicides may be safe and effective in reducing the risk of HIV transmission during sexual activity with an infected partner.

(Excerpt of) Potential Impact of Vaginal Microbicides on HIV Risk Among Women with Primary Heterosexual Partners

James M. McMahon, PhD, Associate Professor, Kathleen M. Morrow, PhD, Associate Professor, Margaret Weeks, PhD, Professor, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, FNAP, WHAP, Professor and Dean, and Amanda Coyle, APRN, Senior Associate

Over the past 2 decades women have increasingly shouldered the burden of the global HIV pandemic (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS], 2004), with the majority of infected women acquiring HIV through sexual contact with a primary male partner (O’Leary, 2000). These trends are the result of multiple factors. Women may be biologically more susceptible to heterosexual transmission of HIV than men, especially via receptive anal intercourse (Boily et al., 2009; Mastro & Kitayaporn, 1998; Padian, Shiboski, & Jewell, 1991). 

In addition, gender-based social inequalities limit women’s options with regard to protective sexual behavior (Higgins, Hoffman, & Dworkin, 2010; Quinn & Overbaugh, 2005; Remien, Halkitis, O’Leary, Wolitski, & Gomez, 2005). Latex condoms, currently the only effective form of barrier protection against HIV, are under the control of men, who often are unwilling to use them, especially in the context of primary relationships (Conley & Collins, 2005).

Vaginal microbicides represent a female-initiated form of barrier and/or chemical protection that can potentially empower women with a means of self-protection. Vaginal microbicides are self-administered chemical compounds, most commonly in the form of a gel, that women can apply intravaginally prior to sexual intercourse to prevent or reduce HIV transmission. Modeling studies indicate that even a partially effective microbicide could have a major impact on the global HIV pandemic (Watts, 2002). 

Microbicides and women

Microbicides are substances capable of reducing the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted pathogens when applied vaginally.Evidence from many settings strongly suggests that many women will find microbicides easier to use than condoms and that they can be used when condom use is not possible. This has raised the concern that women might abandon condoms in favour of microbicides. Indeed, the fear of 'condom migration' has been a major barrier to the widespread endorsement of microbicides as a potential method of HIV prevention.

Despite such high HIV-efficacy, there is substantial evidence that in many settings levels of consistent condom use is low, especially within primary partnerships. Studies show that even after directed intervention, the percentage of couples that achieve consistent condom use seldom exceeds 20-30%, except where individuals know that one partner is HIV infected. Success in increasing the consistency of condom use has been greatest among sex workers and other vulnerable groups, but even here, many sex workers do not use condoms consistently with their non-commercial, primary partners.

Even when condoms are used consistently they may be used incorrectly. The immense gap between the numbers requiring protection and those using condoms consistently and correctly could potentially be filled by microbicides.

With AIDS vaccine efforts at an impasse, microbicides -- virus-blocking gels inserted into the vagina before sexual intercourse -- have risen from their own string of setbacks to once again offer hope of preventing HIV infections, at least in women.

Identifying a microbicide that works even partially could have a huge effect. Almost half of the more than 33 million people living with HIV worldwide are women; in sub-Saharan Africa, the figure is 60%.Abstinence and condoms have been the only proven ways to prevent or reduce the spread of HIV among adults. Circumcision lowers the risk for men, and already-existing AIDS drugs are used prophylactically to reduce mother-to-child transmission during birth or breast-feeding.

Things to Consider Before You Buy Vaginal Lubricants

Vaginal lubricants are available in a variety of products containing various ingredients.
It's important for women to read the label of a vaginal lubricant and buy only water-based vaginal lubricants.
Petroleum-based lubricants can harbor bacteria in the vagina and lead to infection, as well as cause damage to latex condoms rendering them ineffective against unplanned pregnancy and STDs.

Many times women believe that vaginal lubricants or moisturizers are only for women going through menopause and experiencing vaginal dryness; however, normal estrogen fluctuations often cause vaginal dryness creating the need for extra vaginal lubrication.

Vaginal dryness often occurs during:
• the menstrual cycle,
• pregnancy,
• childbirth,
• nursing,
• times of emotional stress,
• and when using a condom.

The Best Type of Vaginal Lubricant
There are several different types of vaginal lubricants available over-the-counter, as well as estrogen-based creams available by prescription.
Vaginal lubricants come in tubes, bottles, and as vaginal suppositories.
Which product works best for your situation is mostly a matter of personal preference.