Half of the Black Population in NYC Has Genital Herpes?

Those numbers don’t really say too much by themselves. Some questions the answers to which might be useful:

(1) How is the disease spread? Do some people have a higher predisposition to contracting the disease if they contact it? Does condom use prevent its spread?

(2) As for the breakdowns by gender and race: Do blacks and whites have the same number of sexual partners? Do men and women? (I take it that you’re assuming that the answer is no, but the herpes numbers do not imply that.)

(3) Do blacks and whites have the same number of inter-racial partners? Does that question even have any meaning? What definition of “black” and “white” is being used in the study?

…

This is a good example of the sort of thing that our friends at “Improbable Research” try to point out in their study guides. See for example:

http://improbable.com/2008/06/12/improbable-research-teachers’-guide/

All that said .. I agree with your implied premise that it would be nice if the numbers weren’t so high.

I think in cases like this, you need a culture change that is sparked from within the culture. Prominent and respected blacks in the community need to speak out about the issue in question and inspire their own people to willingly change their behavior.

@ Maxo:

Fair enough, but I’d think that you’d go on to say:

I think in cases like this, you need a culture change that is sparked from within the culture. Prominent and respected women in the community need to speak out about the issue in question and inspire their own people to willingly change their behavior.

I think in cases like this, you need a culture change that is sparked from within the culture. Prominent and respected men in the community need to speak out about the issue in question and inspire their own people to willingly change their behavior.

I think in cases like this, you need a culture change that is sparked from within the culture. Prominent and respected whites in the community need to speak out about the issue in question and inspire their own people to willingly change their behavior.

— Where do we draw the line? Which numbers are acceptable?

… but more to the point … do the different numbers imply correspondingly different behavior? How do we know?

Someone with genital herpes may first notice itching or pain, followed by sores that appear a few hours to a few days later. The sores, which may appear on the vagina, penis, scrotum, buttocks, or anus, start out as red bumps that soon turn into red, watery blisters. The sores may make it very painful to urinate. The sores may open up, ooze fluid or bleed, and then heal within the next 2 to 4 weeks.

Valtrex (valacyclovir) for Herpes Simplex, Suppression: One 500 mg Valtrex a day and I did not have any outbreaks for more than one year. I had a newborn son and herpes can kill a child under 3 months. I decided to take Valtrex everyday. It worked and I was not aware of any side effects at all.

I have just had my first month long painful outbreak. I am planning to commit suicide. If I dont, i'll be back to say I didnt.

I have just had my first month long painful outbreak. I am planning to commit suicide. If I dont, i'll be back to say I didnt.