March is Women’s Month so it is fitting that this news should alarm Black women everywhere. With all of the mounting odds against us, it is becoming more & more important for us to have regular pap smears, mammograms, and tests run for herpes and HPV. For younger Black women, get all the info you need about HPV vaccinations here. CLICK HERE to learn more about herpes and what you can do to prevent exposure. -NewsOne Staff

According to the root.com, the latest news out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is very troubling, to say the least.

A jaw-dropping 48 percent of black women between ages 14 and 49 have the virus which causes genital herpes, says the federal agency. Blacks in general are more than three times as likely as whites to have herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) (39.2 percent vs. 12.3 percent).

READ THE REST OF THIS STORY HERE

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To snip, or not to snip?

That has been an age-old question.

There are many reasons supporters of circumcision have advocated for foreskin removal, and many more counter-arguments. The health issue is a big one, though. Many say it’s cleanier, and therefore healthier, to be circumcised, and others say keeping good hygiene is just as effective in having a clean peen as getting surgery.

However, a new study shows that circumcised men may be protected from HPV, the sexually transmitted disease that can lead to herpes and cervical cancer in women. Says FOX News,

Men who are circumcised may be more protected against persistent infection with the virus that causes genital warts, a new study suggests.

The study, which followed 285 men ages 18 to 44, found that among those who became infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), circumcised men were more likely to have their immune systems “clear” the virus by the end of the 18-month study.

When it came to the risk of acquiring the virus in the first place, the biggest risk factor was having a large number of lifetime sex partners, the researchers report in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

There are more than 100 strains of HPV, some of which cause genital warts. In most people, the immune system clears the infection fairly rapidly. However, persistent infection with certain HPV strains can eventually lead to cancer.

Persistent HPV infection is the primary cause of cervical cancer, but it can also lead to cancers of the anus and the penis in men.

Though this is just a loose study, it’s something to think about. Do you have a preference when it comes to the men you sleep with? Would you circumcise your son? Let us know!