Can You Get a Sexually Transmitted Disease from Online Dating?
Public health officials say there have been increasing numbers of people getting syphilis, gonorrhea and AIDS and this phenomenon is related to online dating apps. Can you really get a sexually transmitted disease from online dating? Vox writes about Grindr, OKCupid and Tinder and their role in rising STDS (sexually transmitted diseases).
In 2015, health officials in Rhode Island released data showing a dramatic spike in cases of syphilis (79 percent), gonorrhea (30 percent), and HIV (33 percent) in the previous year. The uptick, they said, wasn’t an outlier – it was part of a national trend. And while some of the new cases could be attributed to better testing, officials for the first time said STD rates were rising because of certain high-risk behaviors, including using online dating sites “to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters.”
Since then, the trend for several STDs nationwide has only gotten worse: According to a September report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 2 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in the United States in 2016 – the highest cumulative number ever recorded. “Not only are we at an all-time high,” Gail Bolan, the director of the division of STD prevention at the CDC, told me, “but we’re starting to see increases in all kind of communities.”
The same things that make these online dating apps useful in finding someone to spend your life with also make them effective in arranging encounters that have driven an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases. So, can you personally get a sexually transmitted disease from online dating?
What Is Your Goal in Online Dating?
Online dating is great for meeting more people. And online dating is like very focused speed dating events in that it lets you meet more folks who meet your criteria for dating. Used for the purpose for which it was intended online dating helps you get a hot first date and a happy relationship. Unfortunately some folks, especially gay men, are using online dating like they used to use bath houses and sex clubs. Dating apps are an effective way to set up sexual encounters with someone you do not know. Then if you proceed without a condom the odds of catching something really bad go way up. Obviously if you are taking your time, meeting the right people and avoiding abusive relationships you are unlikely to catch a sexually transmitted disease.
Taking Care of Yourself
In our hot first date article we gave advice for helping you find romance and also advice for avoiding unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.
Not all hot first dates require movie star attractiveness. There are lots of interesting, alluring, sexy people with fairly average looks. A bright smile, a suggestive glance, and revealing garments can lead the way to a hot first date. Because of the chance that the first date will be a disappointment a women may want to wear a jacket over her revealing dress. If the encounter does not promise to be a hot first the date the jacket stays in place. If things become interesting you can ask him to please help you remove your jacket with the implication that you would like him to remove what little else you are wearing as well!
Do not forget that if your wish is for a hot first date that protection is important. Bring condoms and do not expect your hot first date to take all of the precautions. For women who are on birth control condoms are still important in this world of AIDS and other serious diseases. Remember that although this may be your first hot date in a long time but it may be a routine thing for your new friend. Be careful and have a great time!
The point is you do not get sexually transmitted diseases from a dating app but rather from not keeping your wits about you and engaging in random sex with strangers and without protection.