I have a question for DU ladies.

[jeff47]

96. *sigh*. We need better science education

If you have sex with someone who has an STD, and you get infected, you will not test positive for a while.

It takes a while for the immune response to move along enough for us to detect it. And with most STDs, we're testing for the immune response, not the pathogen that causes the disease.

So if you have unprotected sex with someone, you can wait a few months and then get tested. And by then if you got infected you're definitely infected.

Alternatively if your partner is infected, they are further along in the course of the disease and are likely to test positive right now. Compared to your guaranteed negative result right now, that's helpful.

By testing your partner, you can either 1) be relieved that they aren't infected and go on with your life, or 2) find out what they are infected with and start treatment early, greatly reducing the effects of the disease on you. For example, there's some studies showing that a drug cocktail may prevent HIV from getting a foothold if it is taken soon enough after exposure.

In this particular case Assange has delayed enough that this is no longer possible. So at a minimum, the guy's an asshole for not getting tested, regardless of what one thinks about the rape charges.