2024-02-04 07:00:00
Cinema throughout its history has taught us a lot about many things, including health and medicine. There are many examples, specifically, of his interest in infectious diseases, but I want to focus on this one: The Tuskegee Experiment (Miss Evers’ Boys1997), an American film directed by Joseph Sargent and set in 1932.
That year, a syphilis epidemic was recorded in rural areas of the south of the country and a specific program was launched at Tuskegee Hospital, Alabama, an acute care center for the African-American population, where the infamous Tuskegee case. This was a very long-term experiment (1932-1972) on up to 600 African-American people to study the development of syphilis from its initial phases to death. was the subject of the call Informe Belmont (1978), considered a reference in bioethics regarding ethical conflicts in experiments with humans.
It is worth trying to see (or re-watch) that film and learn more about that unfortunate case, as well as remembering, among other matters that invite reflection, that the syphilis it is not a disease youngFrom the past.
It is already known that what is not talked about, does not exist; and what does not exist is ignored or marginalized, but data from the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (Renave) show a compelling reality: in 2021, 6,613 cases of syphilis were reported in Spain (rate of 13.97 per 100,000 inhabitants); and the incidence has been rising since 1999, when only 682 cases were recorded (rate of 1.73). The WHO estimates that, Worldwide, 7.1 million adults ages 15 to 49 contracted syphilis in 2020.
This sexually transmitted infection (can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy and cause congenital syphilis), caused by the bacteria pale treponema, it may seem that it is not a major public health problem, but its incidence is increasing and precisely because of its low rates, it raises questions such as, for example: How many family doctors would know how to identify a syphilitic chancre or a specific trunk rash? the palms of the hands and soles of the feet (secondary syphilis)? How many people are there with latent syphilis (without knowing it)?
Most infections are asymptomatic or go unnoticed but, without treatment, the disease progresses and many years later ends up affecting multiple organs, including severe vascular and nervous system damage.
It is evident that warning messages cannot be continually sent to the population about this or that disease, since we are already quite hypochondriac and medicalized, but the cases of sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV, chlamydia and hepatitis b and c), which are preventable, do not stop increasing and a good part of those affected are under 30 years of age (including adolescents). So something has to be done.
From this point of view, limit or prevent sexual education of minors and young people It does not seem to benefit them nor does it seem to be a good public health measure. You can close your eyes to reality (what is not talked about, does not exist) or open them and put much more emphasis (information campaigns) on the recommendation of prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in the academic, work, sports, cultural, recreational, health (pharmacies, primary care centers, hospital emergencies, etc…) and social. And for all sexually active people, encourage them to undergo routine screening at least once a year, especially if they change partners and before entering a new relationship.
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#talked #syphilis #exist