Use Self-Control Abroad
Whether you're headed to Atlanta or the Antarctic this summer, be sure to pack your common sense and self-control. Medical problems arising from casual sexual encounters are becoming a major focus of travel medicine specialists, says David Freedman, M.D., director of UAB's Travelers Clinic.
"AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases are epidemic in many popular foreign destinations," Casual sex with a resident in a foreign country may carry greater risk for exposure to HIV than in the United States. Also, sexually transmitted diseases not familiar to most American doctors can be acquired overseas. Freedman says the "sun, sand, new people, new places," distance from normal social and moral constraints and alcohol can loosen inhibitions and decrease judgment.
Contact Tracy Bischoff, Media Relations, 205-934-8935 or [email protected].
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