According to a news report broadcast by CNN, in 2010, the image of a blue-colored waffle was published on the internet by the “Know Your Meme” website. The statement “bet you can’t find me on Google image search accompanied the picture. Adventurous information seekers were led to a grotesque photograph of a woman’s labia that displayed scabbed lesions and severe discoloration. The image reportedly exhibited the effects of a sexually transmitted disease referred to as blue waffle disease. Panic ensued. Teens were frightened because they had little knowledge of STDs. Further investigation revealed the vaginal infection was fictitious.
However, three years later, a New Jersey City councilwoman received a phone call from a concerned citizen inquiring as to how the metropolis planned on handling the Blue Waffle Disease epidemic. She was told that the infectious virus supposedly claimed the lives of 85 people and was more fatal than AIDS. When the civil servant brought the matter before the town council, she learned that the call was nothing more than an April Fool’s Day prank.
The Truth
Symptoms of the disease included discoloration, a malodorous discharge, itching, and burning. Dr. Dalia Davood, from the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Illinois, and Dr. Amy Whitaker, from the Women’s Health Foundation, assured females that the blue waffle STD was not a real condition. Upon researching the issue, neither physician found any evidence of the existence of the disorder. They explained that the majority of symptoms might be caused by any number of less serious vaginal infections. However, none caused the blue discoloration. The only instance that might cause severe discoloration would involve a sexual assault. As such, the problem was deemed an urban legend.
Be Informed
In lieu of the stress incited by reports of blue waffle disease, Massachusetts General Hospital OBGYN Dr. Rebecca Kolp recommended that people become more aware of sexually transmitted diseases. Along with HIV, common infections include herpes and the human papillomavirus.
Herpes often causes painful open sores. The virus is known to cause genital warts that could progress to cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers. Sexually active people continue contracting chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis. Chlamydia is known to cause a discharge that smells similar to fish. Women often do not notice symptoms of gonorrhea or syphilis during the infection’s early stages. But, over time, they may eventually develop vaginal lesions.
The physician advises that women noticing unusual symptoms in the genital region seek medical help. Make an appointment with a personal health care provider or an OBGYN for an examination and testing. She also promised that while many sexual dangers exist, women had nothing to fear from a blue waffle STD.
