How About This: Study Why Prostitutes In Thailand Have High Hiv Risk

[wasabi]

If they wore condoms instead of saying, 'No wear condom for you teerak, only you.' They might not be getting the virus as much as they are now.

[Shotime]

The answer is money.

I'm astounded (Edit: and that's not easy to do). Honest.

"The remaining 50% is provided as bonuses to be offered to the the already procured prostitutes (sorry for reminding you of the term) if they will agree to provide the said services without the use of a condom."

It says it right there. Why don't they just inject the virus into them and see if they get it?

My only salvation is that this news is from FOX, so, maybe, it's just talk.

Edited May 22, 2009 by Shotime

[Burr]

[quote name='GuestHouse' you'll only feel a small prick.

That's what you girlfriend said

[Burr]

I am pretty sure you can't catch it from "riding" Pattaya baht buses ...

In Nam the Chaplain got VD off the toilet seat, he told his wife!!

[Heng]

It's a pretty logical vector, pretty much known to hundreds if not thousands of local doctors (especially dermatologists) and pharmacists. We happen to have both in the family.

HPV (genital warts) and type 2 herpes. Super common sexually transmitted skin-based disease even in developed countries. In a country with readily accessible prostitution, likely on the high end of the chart, if not at the top end. Outbreaks of the former are controlled/treated by corticosteroids in mild to heavy strengths in pill and cream form (the latter being more popular because it's more discrete). Both are incurable diseases so every time folks get an outbreak of warts or sores, down to the pharmacy they go to get their creams. Over time, these creams typically thin the skin of users to the point where the skin no longer functions as a barrier, and then you're just a statistic waiting to happen.

Throw in the stigma of these STD's and the fact that most prostitutes are typically poor and aren't ready to drop funds at first class private hospitals for proper treatment/observation/counsel, and that results in people going for the self-med route (and keeping the stats off the books). It's a cocktail of medicine/science and sociology that allows for ever increasing numbers of people who are prone to all STDs, including the terminal ones.

Some med school kid out there will eventually do a paper on it and get an easy PhD dissertation topic.

[JohnGotti]

I know that having these other STDS increases the risk because it lowers the immune system in this area and makes it more likely for their to be open lesions and blood, but you are suggesting that the treatment is actually dissolving the skin? Interesting theory. I know that many of these STDS can be had with no symptoms shown too.

When these establishments do their supposed testing, are there any statistics on what percent of girls come back HIV positive on average, ie, every 2 months of the 300 employees X percent are HIV positive... Or too bad for business? One has to question if these places are seriously testing or if it was like when I went for my medical exam to get a drivers license and they just filled the form out right there for me for 50 baht.

[Heng]

I know that having these other STDS increases the risk because it lowers the immune system in this area and makes it more likely for their to be open lesions and blood, but you are suggesting that the treatment is actually dissolving the skin? Interesting theory. I know that many of these STDS can be had with no symptoms shown too.

Long term steroid use (that is, the steroids used in these cream based treatments) thins the skin. How it manifests in different people will vary. Could be cracking of the skin, drier skin, could be higher tendencies to develop lesions or wounds. Could be generalized eczema, basically a kind of general rash and skin infection that tends to happen near damaged skin... which in turn is often treated with more steroid creams in a nice little damaging cycle. Thinning of the skin is a generally accurate description I think. All the while: the sex drive of people remains a constant, and the access and affordability of low cost sex remains a constant.

There are non-steroid treatment creams and lotions but they typically don't sell very well, mostly I would assume because they don't work as well.

It probably doesn't get as much attention/academic study in parts of the world where people only average say 10 to 20 sex partners per lifetime. Here we have a somewhat unique 'agar plate' of tens of thousands of people who have several hundred to sometimes several thousand+ partners per lifetime. And those are just the sex workers. As for the customers, you have perhaps a million+ who have hundreds of encounters with sex workers per lifetime.

Edited May 24, 2009 by Heng

[mommysboy]

Count me in as a cynic regarding this syndrome.

What syndrome? HIV?

Is that like being a global warming skeptic or a believer in intelligent design?

Skeptic about AIDS etimology, the epidemiology, role of the drug industry, financial and geo political concerns, waste of funding, apart from that right behind the whole thing.

I think the science stands up to a certain extent though, eg, a positive test indicates immune problems, and not denying of course that there is a disease of some sorts which could well be sexually acquired, so yes condoms a must. Grossly overplated phenomenon though.

[Heng]

How about hepatitis c? Mostly imagined? Overrated? Underrated?

Edited May 24, 2009 by Heng

[Jingthing]

Count me in as a cynic regarding this syndrome.

What syndrome? HIV?

Is that like being a global warming skeptic or a believer in intelligent design?

Skeptic about AIDS etimology, the epidemiology, role of the drug industry, financial and geo political concerns, waste of funding, apart from that right behind the whole thing.

I think the science stands up to a certain extent though, eg, a positive test indicates immune problems, and not denying of course that there is a disease of some sorts which could well be sexually acquired, so yes condoms a must. Grossly overplated phenomenon though.

Let me guess? You're a global warming skeptic too? Tell your story to the 12 million Aids orphans in Africa, I am sure they will be highly amused.

On second thought, now you have made me wonder what most of my young friends in San Francisco died of in the 1980's. I had thought it was Aids. Maybe it was something the burritos? Killer salsa, that's the ticket ...

Edited May 24, 2009 by Jingthing

[JohnGotti]

Count me in as a cynic regarding this syndrome.

What syndrome? HIV?

Is that like being a global warming skeptic or a believer in intelligent design?

Skeptic about AIDS etimology, the epidemiology, role of the drug industry, financial and geo political concerns, waste of funding, apart from that right behind the whole thing.

I think the science stands up to a certain extent though, eg, a positive test indicates immune problems, and not denying of course that there is a disease of some sorts which could well be sexually acquired, so yes condoms a must. Grossly overplated phenomenon though.

yes, its a phenomenon encountered by 2% of the Thai population I think, and 50% of some African populations. You know, like the phenomenon of being left handed or having blue eyes or liking the taste of durian. A real rarity.

[mommysboy]

How about hepatitis c? Mostly imagined? Overrated? Underrated?

Nope, why should I be? Nor about flu, lung cancer (I gave up smoking), nor most other things scientific, just The AIDS paradigm or a substantial part of it.

[mommysboy]

Count me in as a cynic regarding this syndrome.

What syndrome? HIV?

Is that like being a global warming skeptic or a believer in intelligent design?

Skeptic about AIDS etimology, the epidemiology, role of the drug industry, financial and geo political concerns, waste of funding, apart from that right behind the whole thing.

I think the science stands up to a certain extent though, eg, a positive test indicates immune problems, and not denying of course that there is a disease of some sorts which could well be sexually acquired, so yes condoms a must. Grossly overplated phenomenon though.

Let me guess? You're a global warming skeptic too? Tell your story to the 12 million Aids orphans in Africa, I am sure they will be highly amused.

On second thought, now you have made me wonder what most of my young friends in San Francisco died of in the 1980's. I had thought it was Aids. Maybe it was something the burritos? Killer salsa, that's the ticket ...

Sorry you feel that way, but it's something I've looked in to. And as I wrote in no way am saying there is not an AIDS phenomenon, try reading instead of reacting. And sure lots of people died in SF in the first outbreak which we also know involved special circumstances. Look this is a multi faceted and complex area which can't be discussed on TV because of censorship, and the tendency of people to become highly emotionally charged, but like it or lump it there is a growing number of people some of whom highly qualified who just think the paradigm is shot.

I don't have any experience of the disease as manifested in Africa. There's a lot to talk about there, but I'd fear the censor's chop once again.

I most certainly believe in global warming, because I suffer from it's effects and the evidence is sound.

Sorry I'm not a crank.

[Heng]

How about hepatitis c? Mostly imagined? Overrated? Underrated?

Nope, why should I be? Nor about flu, lung cancer (I gave up smoking), nor most other things scientific, just The AIDS paradigm or a substantial part of it.

Not saying you should be. Thanks for the answer.

[middlepath]

Posts: 10,988

Joined: 2006-10-26

Jingthing now that is some posting son.... get outside some....