Been thinking a lot about it, since the earlier thread.

This one, btw, is so much more thoughtful and thought-provoking--thank you, JDavid.

Not sure how I would react to a real person telling me he had "something"; but Hep C, HIV, and some of the influenzae scare me silly. More so, I think, than HSV. And yet I had a friend whose father developed HSV encephalitis and recovered, to be quite less cognitively intact than he'd been before. But I understand that this kind of escalation in adults otherwise healthy is rare.

An acquaintance in her mid 40's developed acute viral cardiomyopathy two 'flu seasons ago, didn't show up for work one day and was found unconscious on her kitchen floor. Three days in an induced coma, and we were advised she was unlikely to survive. She did, but the heart failure is now chronic. A teenager I see in my office has had heart failure from viral cardiomyopathy for several years now, and lives in a wheelchair with O2 while she hopes for a transplant. Influenza kills people, young and old, every year--quick check just now said 21-55, 000 per year in the US from 1979-2001. HSV, especially HSV2, seems less lethal--unless you are a baby born to a mother who's got an active outbreak during the birth process. I couldn't find more on a rapid check--any of you numbers people out there can help me out?

Papillomavirus--guys, those of you who carry it almost never know you have it, and when you pass a certain strain on to us we get cancer. Have two friends to whom this has happened--heck, one of them contracted it from her LTR boyfriend, who is a GYN.

With freedom comes responsibility. And even the responsible sometimes get caught out.

Thinking about it, all I can ask for is if we get to the place in our time together where transmission becomes an issue--you had better tell me what you do know about yourself. Even if it's "just" the 'flu. Be an adult, y'know?