If you watch enough US television, you have seen the diamond commercial showing an elderly couple strolling hand-in-hand through the park. They share a smile, suggesting the couple have grown old together. Only a diamond would last as long as their relationship. You rarely hear statements like that anymore. You would think that dating would be getting easier these days for singles. Today, we enjoy the luxury of speed dating, personal ads and the information superhighway. The Internet is a literal disposal point for the busy American singleton . More and more people turn to sites like “Match.com” and “SexSearch.com” to find love online.
Throughout my life I have had jobs that require me to travel to other cities to do my work. I have lived all over the US and lived in England for a couple years. Over 20 years ago, I did find something that lasts as long as a diamond. A venereal disease, or VD , or, what is now commonly and currently called, an STD. I had contracted a sexually transmitted disease. There are many curable STD's out there and no matter what the case is, you're not alone. Statistically, if you don't have an STD or catch one in your life, you will be one of the lucky ones. They are that common. It goes without saying that you should use proper protection with your partner until you both have been tested. If you can not abstain from intercourse, then protection is the next best thing. There are many places, including your local health department that offer anonymous and even free testing. Many STD's can be cured by treatment and groundbreaking pharmaceuticals. However, there are STD's like “Herpes”, which can not be cured and you will have to live with it for the rest of your life as I have. Again, you're not alone. It is difficult to be tested for herpes unless you have an actual “breakout”. Herpes is viral and lives dormant in the body until conditions such as stress can cause the breakout of blister like sores on the genitals. This does not sound that attractive if you had to explain it to your date. I say you're not alone, because there are many avenues for singles infected with the herpes virus to find advice, dating and hopefully love. Just to give an idea of how many various forms of sexually transmitted diseases there are, I have listed fourteen of the most common.

· Bacterial Vaginosis
· Chancroid
· Chlamydia
· Cytomegalovirus Infections
· Genital Herpes
· Gonorrhea
· HIV Infection and AIDS
· HPV and Genital Warts
· Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
· Pubic Lice
· Scabies
· Syphilis
· Trichomoniasis
· Vaginal Yeast Infection

For those who don't have an STD, date frequently and feel they are not at risk. Think again . Of the 14 listed above I am going to only highlight the statistics of one STD, “herpes”. An estimated 25% of American Adults have genital herpes. Since the 1970's, the number of Americans with genital herpes infection has increased by 30%. Infection is more common among African Americans at roughly 46%, then White Caucasian at roughly 18%. Infection is more common among women, approximately one in four women and one in five men in the United States are infected and 80% of the infected don't know they have it. That is just the stats on one STD, and the numbers are staggering. Think about it, one in five Americans has herpes. That is just one STD from the list, and one in four Americans will get one of those 14 STD's before they are dead. So if there are five employees behind the counter at your coffee shop, one of them has an STD. See, you're not alone.

If you have any STD, and find dating difficult, please access these sites for information, support and singles with your condition.
www.pdp1.com
www.mpwh.com
www.h-date.com
www.myhsv.com
www.positivesingles.com
The Complete Herpes Information Center
http://www.globalherbalsupplies.com/
herpes/stats.html