Despite rumors of a genital herpes outbreak, Dick's House has not seen any more genital herpes cases than normal. Talk of the alleged outbreak spread as Greek houses passed around mass e-mails informing their members of the rumored outbreak of the sexually transmitted disease and telling them to protect themselves. Betsy Morse, a nurse practitioner at Women's Health Services at Dick's House, said she searched medical records, finding fewer than five cases since the beginning of February. "Sometimes they come in clumps, but we usually see a few each term, and this is no exception," she said. Morse explained that condoms and dental dams, available through Health Resources, are effective ways to protect an individual and his or her partner from transmitting the disease but are not 100 percent effective, and that abstinence is the only sure way to protect oneself. Morse explained that there are two types of Herpes Simplex Virus: Type 1, which is usually affecting the mouth, and Type 2, which affects the genitals. With oral sex, however, either can be transmitted to each location. She warned that many of those infected with herpes have shown no symptoms and are unaware that they are infected.
A study conducted at Dartmouth Medical School finds that tea drinking can reduce the risk of skin cancer. The findings, published in the "European Journal of Cancer Prevention," state that tea-drinkers are 65 percent less likely to develop some types of cancer than those who do not drink tea. The study compared the diets and lifestyles of 1,400 patients between the ages of 25 and 74. The conductor of the research, Dr. Judy Rees, said that the nutrients found in tea have been studied for their ability to fight diseases, but the most distinct component is polyphenois, an antioxidant that blocks molecules from damaging the body. Cancer researcher Alison Ross said that limiting exposure to sunlight is still the best way to prevent skin cancers.
Dartmouth Medical School student Narath Carlile was recently chosen as one of 55 medical students across the United States to be granted a 2007 Leadership Award from the American Medical Association Foundation. Carlile represents a group of medical schools at improvehealthcare.org and studies the habits of sleep disorder patients as an Albert Schweitzer fellow. He helps New England's uninsured residents as well as leads Dartmouth's health care effort in Tanzania, DarDar Connects. After receiving his bachelor's degree in computer science at Toronto's York University, he went on to co-found a software company dealing with education in science. Carlile, who was raised in South Africa, represents one of those "talented people [who] will provide solid leadership in the interest of improving health care delivery in our country," Dr. Linda Ford said in a press release.
