Melissa Brennan This is Me

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1. 1. bupipedream.com

   bupipedream.com/current/index. - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/8/2008   Last Visited: 5/8/2008

   According to Melissa Brennan, director of Clinical Services at the Broome County Health Department (BCHD), all STDs, including syphilis, can be asymptomatic.
   
   "There's a pervasive belief in our country that 'if I had an STD I would know it,'" Brennan said."That is absolutely not true."
   
   "Every single STD can be, and often is, completely without symptoms," she added, listing syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia as examples.
   
   Brennan also said that though the recent syphilis outbreak in Endicott includes less than 10 cases, it's still a cause for concern.
   
   "Until 2005 we hadn't seen any syphilis cases since the early 1990s," Brennan said.
   ...
   Both Lyczko and Brennan said that they were unaware of a connection between the cases reported in the two counties.
   ...
   Different strains of HPV can cause genital warts and cervical cancer, while untreated chlamydia, according to Brennan, is the No. 1 cause for female infertility in the U.S.
   
   In Broome County an average of 1,029.4 people per 100,000 of 15- to 19-year-olds have chlamydia.The infection average of the total county population is 231.2 people per every 100,000.
   
   Brennan said the amount of gonorrhea cases reported in the county has also risen significantly because people haven't been getting treatment since the virus has begun to exhibit fewer or even milder symptoms that don't get their attention.
   ...
   "If you don't look for it, you won't find it," Brennan said.

2. 2. Pipe Dream on the Web - STDs on the rise for college-age students - By Alana Casanova-Burgess

   www.bupipedream.com/pipeline_w - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/9/2006   Last Visited: 5/9/2006

   The disease is particularly dangerous and widespread because, in the majority of cases, those who have it are unaware and do not have any symptoms, said Melissa Brennan, a nurse practitioner at the Broome County Health Department's STD Clinic.
   
   According to Brennan, 50 percent of males and 70 percent of females with the disease do not exhibit any symptoms, and usually do not seek treatment.
   
   "There is a general perception when it comes to STDs, which is, 'If I had it, I would know,'" she said.
   ...
   And while many students may be passive, ignorant or may even avoid seeking a diagnosis, Brennan stressed the simplicity of getting tested and treated for chlamydia. Women can be tested during a genital examination, "which feels no different than a pap smear," she said. Men can be tested with a urine specimen.
   
   The treatment for chlamydia, Brennan said, is one dose of antibiotics.
   
   The STD Clinic at the Broome County Health Department offers free testing for county residents, and BU students qualify. Planned Parenthood offers free testing and treatment for STDs and free birth control.
   
   Students who use the pill and not a condom, because they are in a monogamous relationship, should be as cautious as those who are not, Brennan warned.
   
   "Many of us believe that we are in a committed relationship, and unfortunately, a good number of us are wrong," she said.

3. 3. www.wicz.com

   www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarti - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/25/2006   Last Visited: 8/7/2007

   "In most cases, people are not routinely tested for syphilis," said Melissa Brennan, Nurse Practitioner at the B.C. Health Department.
   ...
   "We believe in public health testing," added Brennan.
   ...
   "Penicilin by injection ... inter-muscular injection depending on the stage of syphilis," added Brennan.