Duke University
Medical Center
Intercom
VOL. 25, NO. 11
MARCH 17, 1978
DURHAM, N.C.
Questions raised by 'sexual revolution'
officials warned about transmissible viruses
By David Williamson'
The "sexual revolution" amon^ young
people today involves a lot more than
questions of freedom and morality, a
specialist in infectious diseases said in a
speech here last week.
Dr. David J. Lang, professor of pediat
rics at Duke, said there is growling evi
dence that certain viruses can be sexually
transmitted, and few young people are
aware of the possible consequences.
Lang addressed the annual meeting of
the Southern College Health Association,
a group of physicians, nurses and
administrators who operate student
health services at colleges and
universities throughout the Southeast.
Shot may not help
"I think the common notion is that if
you get syphilis or gonorrhea you only
have to go see your doctor or visit a public
health clinic for a shot of penicillin, and
then you are all right," he said.
"But virus infections do not respond to
antibiotics the way bacterial infections
do, and they may spread or persist
unimpeded by any form of available
treatment."
Lang, who is chief of the division of
pediatric infectious diseases, said his own
research has centered on cytomegalo
virus (CMV), a virus he has shown to be
present in the semen of some men.
Previous researchers have found the
virus in the genital tracts of some women.
Severe hazard to newborn infant
While these minute parasitic agents
frequently cause no symptoms or go
unnoticed in adults, he said an infected
newborn baby can suffer severe
neurobiologica! damage leading to
blindness, deafness or mental
retardation.
Current estimates are that about one in
every 100 American babies is born
infected with CMV, and about two in
every 1,000 infants are injured by it, he
said.
"The risk of infection during any
particular pregnancy is small, but if you
look at the statistics in the country as a
whole, prenatal CMV infectio'ns occur far
more frequently than German measles
(rubella) which has attracted considerable
national attention," he said.
Patients whose immune systems have
been depressed, either by illness or by
drugs they must take, also are especially
susceptible to CMV, Lang added.
Herpes simplex strain
Another untreatable infection
scientists say can be spread by sexual
contact is that caused by a strain of herpes
simplex, the virus that is responsible for
cold sores and fever blisters.
Herpex simplex can cause painful,
recurring sores on or around the genitals
in both males and females and lead to
secondary infections when the skin is
broken, Lang said, and, like cytomegalo
virus, it too can injure or kill newborn
infants.
And while there is no proof yet that
genital infection with herpes simplex is
related to cervical cancer, statistically at
least, women who have it are eight times
more likely to develop that cancer, he
said.
Risks yet to be defined
The specialist said sexually transmitted
virus infections have not received
widespread publicity because the risks
have not been adequately defined.
"It's not reasonable to be an alarmist
before you even know what the risks
are," he explained. "This is a young field,
and only a few laboratories anywhere in
the world are looking at the potential
problems."
Lang said researchers recognize that all
these viruses can be spread by other
means, and so he is not implying that
everyone who contracts an infection is
sexually promiscuous.
"I think there are some significant
questions, however, and it's about time
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.â– #1
DR. DAVID J. LANG
You might see these students again some day
By John Becton
If the name tag attached to the navy
blue jacket identifies the wearer as a
"Health Careers Volunteer," you might
HE WORKS. SHE RECORDS—Student volunteer Cathy Clinton, records the measurements of a
physical therapy patient's work output on the Cybex isokinetic machine. Clinton is one of 54
Duke undergraduates doing volunteer work in the medical center this spring. IPholos by Parker
Hnring}
want to get to know the young person so
attired.
In a few years, he or she might be your
fellow staff member or even, in time,
your personal physician.
The Health Careers Volunteer (HCV)
Program provides Duke undergraduate
health careers students with an
opportunity for observation and
experience with medical practitioners on
a regularly scheduled basis.
More useful for both parties
Most participants do volunteer work
three or four times a week in such areas as
the emergency room, radiology, the
pediatric playroom, physical therapy or
hospital labs.
"There have always been undergradu
ates doing volunteer work in the
hospital," according to Shirley Hanks,
assistant to the advisor for health
professions. "We are trying to make the
experience more coherent and useful for
both the students and the medical
center."
This is the HCV Program's second
semester. The 137 participants were
assigned to specific shifts and locations at
Duke, the VA or Durham County
General Hospital. Fifty-four are at Duke.
Gives them a look
Participation during the fall semester
was limited to students who have applied
for Duke's Early Identification Program
(EIP) which was established this fall to
identify students for early admission to
medical school.
The volunteer program gives students
the opportunity "to take a look at the
medical, nursing and allied health
professions," Hanks said.
"They do a lot of observing and a lot of
asking questions," she said, "Many have
been pleased to discover they can stand
the sight of blood."
Orientation for participants mcludes
an introduction to hospital work in
general, and specific training in their
assigned work area.
"We emphasize that they should onlv
do what they are trained to do," Hanks
said.
The students' duties are ones which are
permissible for volunteers and helpful to
hospital personnel. The duties include
transferring patients, transporting lab
samples and supplies, holding children for
injections, talking with patients, shaving
patients and assisting in putting on casts.
Staying in touch
Volunteers receive a weekly HCV
newsletter and are required to attend
"HCV Hours" at least once a month.
These sessions, offered at three different
times each week, give !-he students a
chance to discuss their experiences and
provide a means of monitoring the
effectiveness of the placements. Health
professionals are available from time to
time for consultation during Hours.
(EIP students were required to attend
one group meeting and one approved
lecture each week during the fall.)
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