Approaches to the problem of venereal disease prevention

Approaches to the problem of venereal disease prevention Article

Darrow, WW. (1976). Approaches to the problem of venereal disease prevention . Preventive Medicine, 5(1), 165-175. 10.1016/0091-7435(76)90018-9

The oldest, most popular, and effective method of preventing venereal infections is to avoid sexual exposures with persons who are infected. Since it is difficult to determine who is infected, condoms should be employed with each exposure to each person who might be infected. If condoms are not used, chemical prophylaxis immediately before or soon after sexual exposures should be attempted. Systemic prophylaxis is also highly effective, but the potential side effects are more serious; therefore, antimicrobials should be used judiciously. These four approaches are perfect in theory, but imperfect in practice. In the absence of vaccines and in the midst of a venereal disease epidemic, attempts should be made to increase the acceptance and use-effectiveness of available venereal disease prophylactics. Based on the findings of a recent behavioral study, several strategies for increasing acceptance and use-effectiveness are offered for implementation and further testing. © 1976.