Viral V.D. on increase

Press, 24 July 1984, Page 1

Viral V.D. on increase

A campaign warning people of the dangers of the new, virtually incurable, sexually transmitted diseases spreading rapidly in New Zealand has been urged by a Christchurch venereologist, Dr William Platts.

In the last five to 10 years there had been a lull in public propaganda about venereal diseases, said Dr Platts, who will retire as head of Christchurch Hospital’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic at the end of this month.

Although still common, the number of patients with gonorrhoea was only half what it was in 1975 but new, more dangerous diseases had reached almost epidemic proportions, affecting people of all ages and socio-economic groups, he said.

These were the two viral diseases, genital warts and genital herpes, and nonspecific urethritis (N.S.U.). While genital warts could be laboriously treated with a tissue poison, genital herpes was incurable, said Dr Platts.

Their rise had been dramatic. In 1978 there were 791 cases of genital warts in New Zealand and by 1982 this figure had risen to 1083. Similarly, there were 495 cases of genital herpes in 1978 and 914 in 1982. Both were thought to be oncogenic (cancer-caus-ing).

N.S.U. presents Dr Platts with one of his main problems. It was now so common it was difficult to cure fully and- was complicated by the presence of chlamydia in about 50 per cent of cases, he said. This was a marked threat to fertility in women, as it could cause tubal infection. The Christchurch clinic has started contact-tracing N.S.U. patients, and Dr Platts believes this will be-

come increasingly important. N.S.U. had increased as the incidence of gonorrhoea decreased. Dr Platts said he did not know what had caused this decrease, but it seemed to be a world-wide trend. Venereologists would have to watch out for increasing cases of penicillinresistant gonorrhoea coming from Asia, but this could be treated with other anti-

biotics, he said. Because there had been very little publicity about sexually transmitted diseases in recent years the material available was out of date. Dr Platts said the Health Department would have to devote more attention to this and hoped he would be able to do 'something about it as a departmental adviser on venereology, a position he had held since 1964. When Dr Platts began work at the Christchurch clinic in 1953 there were only four clinics in New Zealand. Now there are 13. He has maintained his private practice and says he will continue with this after he retires from the clinic. In 1953, the incidence of gonorrhoea, the most common venereal disease, was at an all-time low. Dr Platts attributes this to penicillin and the Judaeo-Christian morality. “People did not have sexual intercourse until they were married. Talking to school groups I could talk about the dangers of this with effect,” he said. “Gradually, with the sexual revolution of the 1960 s and 19705, ethics and morals lost their meaning and I could not tell a girl of 15 who attended the clinic that she had taken a wrong turning. This became the norm.”

“Venereal diseases are basically the result of partner changing. If two nave intercourse with nobody else they cannot get any of these diseases,” Dr Platts said. He believes that all that can now be done to prevent the diseases is warn about their effects. He would like the Health Department to produce pamphlets and posters and regular news media coverage, and welcomed a suggestion that the Family Planning Association supply condoms to its patients. “Sweden turned back its gonorrhoea tide with a tremendous campaign to encourage people to use condoms. This has been a dismal failure here,” Dr Platts said. Sexually active women should insist that their partners use condoms, he said,

but because of the tremendous numbers taking the contraceptive pill. they were not interested in taking any precautions. “The advent of the pill has been a tragedy in some ways.” Dr Platts has in the past complained that the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic has been the Cinderella of the hospital service. However, the clinic has been provided with space in the outpatients’ department in the Christchurch Hospital redevelopment and Dr Platts hoped it could function as an outpatients’ clinic, with persons able to make daytime appointments and not have to wait in line in the evenings. Although about threequarters of all venereal diseases were treated at clinics, Dr Platts said that some people were embarrassed sitting in the waiting room with others.