Week 3: Youtube Video on Herpes

The video that I chose to talk about was found on youtube and entitled Dark Knight PSA: Herpes. In the video, Batman with the company of the Joker explain some simple yet important aspects of herpes. Although this video is mainly meant to just be funny, there is some true information in it. One important thing that Batman explains is that even though you have herpes and exhibit no symptoms, you can still pass it to your partner. Batman also suggests to get tested, get tested often, and be honest with those that you love when it comes to herpes. This video does not use fear and it does not give any false information, mostly likely because it is a very short video. The video is playing off on the new found popularity in Batman and the Joker and is likely targeting young adults who frequent the internet. This is important since young adults are a major risk group for this disease. In some ways I would say that it is an effective way to reach the target audience since these characters are very popular with this age group. The media plays a very important role in prevention of STDs. It is an easy way to get messages to large masses of people in a short amount of time. Information is one of the most powerful things in our lives, and informing people of the risks of diseases like this is something that the media can do effectively.

Week 2: Tuskegee Syphilis Study Apology

In the Tuskegee Syphilis study, nearly 400 poor African-American men from Macon County, Alabama were openly deceived and deprived treatment for syphilis to be used to study the course of the disease until termination. They were told that they would receive medical care at no cost when in reality the researchers did everything in their power to keep the men from the simple doses of penicillin that would cure the disease. Several of the participants in the study died as a result of the disease while many more were permanently left physically or mentally crippled. In the apology, President Clinton openly stated that these men were betrayed by our government and that although the government is supposed to protect the rights of its citizens, in this case they were trampled on. He also noted how important it is that we remember this event in our history so that we can make amends and go forward as a nation.
My reaction to the apology is mixed. On one side it is hard for me to take an apology for something like this that was made so long after the study ended seriously. It took our government over 20 years to apologize for this act that was so obviously a violation of these peoples right guaranteed to them in our constitution. The fact that the study lasted as long as it did is deplorable and to add an apology so long over due can only be described as pathetic. On the other hand, it is important that our government is willing to publicly state that it was wrong and that they commit to making sure things such as this never happen again. They say that if you can not learn from your history then you are doomed to repeat it. Thankfully, with the government's dedication to biomedical ethics, something like this will never happen again.

Week 1: MDR TB

This podcast was about the epidemic tuberculosis and specifically the multi-drug resistant version that is much harder to treat. TB is a very treatable disease that can usually be cured in 6 months. However, if people misuse their antibiotic treatment then MDR TB can result. We should be concerned about this because once MDR TB occurs then the cost of medication is more expensive and treatment will last as long as 2 years. Although this is a rare disease in our country we still have to be concerned about it. This is an epidemic which means that it occurs everywhere in the world. All it takes is for one person traveling to the states from a foreign country where the disease is more prevalent to infect mass amounts of people. An important thing to remember about antibiotic treatments is that most of them do not actually kill the bacteria that have infected a patient, they only slow them down to allow the body's own immune system time to take action. People may begin to feel better and stop taking their medication even though they are directed to take it until it is out. When this happens, bacteria that had a resistance to the antibiotic have a chance to reproduce and spread through the body, rendering the previously prescribed treatment useless. Direct observation treatments are the best way to make sure that patients are not misusing their antibiotics. This type of treatment can and is used for various other diseases to make sure that drug resistant forms do not emerge.