Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs are diseases that
spread from one person to another via sexual contact. It spreads when a
person carrying the disease-causing organism engages in any kind of
sexual activity including, oral, vaginal, anal or genital with another
partner without using protection.
The best way to prevent
an STD is to practice safe sex at all times. Even so, the number of STD
cases is on a rise as many people do not recognise the disease quickly
and therefore continue to spread it further.
This article highlights some of the most common STDs one should watch out for.
Chlamydia
- Chlamydia is one of the most common STD’s. It is caused by a
bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis which affects a man’s penile
urethra and a woman’s cervix. Many times people don’t realise they’ve
contracted the disease for months or even years. The most common
symptoms to diagnose chlamydia include burning while urinating, abnormal
genital discharge and pain during intercourse. A person can be best
protected from Chlamydia by practicing safe sex. Chlamydia is also
curable.
AIDS/HIV - AIDS/HIV is probably the most
commonly known and feared STD. It is caused by a virus called the human
immunodeficiency virus, which can be found in any bodily fluids
including semen, blood, or breast milk. Most people who’ve contracted
the disease show symptoms like flu, fatigue, swollen lymph glands, skin
rash, nausea within two months. Although there is no complete cure for
AIDS, if diagnosed early, it can be prevented from progressing with a
combination of highly active anti-retroviral drugs.
Herpes - Herpes
is a silent disease and one may not even know about it if your partner
has it. It is contagious and can spread via skin to skin touch. For
example, mouth to genital or genital to genital. There are times where
people don’t show visible sores but the most common indication of herpes
are sores that arise on the penis, vagina, anus or mouth. Even though
there is no permanent cure to herpes, there are medical treatments to
treat it. Once infected, this virus never goes away and keeps
reoccurring two to four times a year.
Crabs -
Crabs or pubic lice are mites that lodge themselves in your genitals,
hands, fingers or chest hair. They appear as eggs or lice attached to
the hair and can spread if left untreated. They cause a person to itch
the affected area. Crabs are passed via sexual contact but they can also
be contracted from infected bed linen, clothing or toilet seats.
Syphilis -
Syphilis is a serious STD, which may not always show symptoms and can
be very dangerous. It is caused by a bacterial infection called
Treponema Pallidum and is transmitted via direct contact when there is
no condom involved. Although symptoms are rare, sores around the rectum,
vagina, mouth or genital area indicate the presence of the syphilis
virus. There can be one or more sores that appear like big bug bites
that are painless. They could also be accompanied by hair loss, sore
throat or patchy white skin rash. The easiest way to diagnose it is by
testing your blood. The good part is that it can be treated by
penicillin or tetracycline. But if left untreated it can cause severe
problems like blindness, brain or heart damage or death.
Genital Warts -
Genital warts are the most commonly contracted STD. They are caused by a
virus called Human Papilloma, which pops up in form of warts around the
genital area, hence the name genital warts. Once a person is infected,
it may take about three months for the warts to appear. These warts are
highly contagious and can cause other symptoms like muscle aches, pain
while urinating or swollen glands near the genitals. Even if a person
doesn’t see any warts but experiences the following symptoms, he/she
should visit a doctor immediately before it gets serious. Unfortunately,
this virus cannot be permanently treated although the warts caused by
it can be removed every time they appear.
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