What You Need to Know The correct term for what were previously referred to as venereal diseases (VD) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is now STIs. During sexual contact with the penis, vagina, anus, or mouth, as well as contact with any of the membranes that line the urinary or genital tracts, bacteria, viruses, or parasites can pass from one person to another, leading to their development. All people who engage in sexual activity should be aware of the various types of STIs, particularly the infections that are spread most widely among the general population.
Even for the same disease, STI symptoms vary from person to person, and many people experience no symptoms at all. Additionally, contracting an STI can have severe repercussions. Some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) alter the course of the disease and raise the likelihood of contracting it. Long-term health issues can result from STIs, particularly in pregnant women and infants. A portion of these medical conditions incorporate pelvic fiery sickness (PID), barrenness, ectopic pregnancy, cervical disease, and perinatal or innate contaminations in newborn children.
1. The most prevalent STI is HPV, or the human papillomavirus. There are over 40 different types of HPV. They can all affect men and women. Genital warts can be caused by a variety of types. They can also spread to the mouth and throat, two other body parts. Cancers of the cervix, vulva, penis, anus, and mouth can develop as a result of infection.
Although HPV cannot be cured, the disease can be prevented and controlled with medication. The virus can also cause genital warts that can be treated. Standard screening with a Pap smear test can forestall or recognize most instances of cervical malignant growth coming about because of HPV at a beginning phase.
There are two vaccines that protect against the majority of HPV types that cause cervical cancer, but not all of them. The vaccine is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for both boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 12.
In the fields of immunotherapy, biotechnology, recombinant DNA technology, and the molecular biology of HPV, Dr. Maryam Dadar and her team at Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute in Iran are making significant progress. They have created new medical systems that are making it possible to create vaccines, drugs, and treatment methods for the virus that are more effective.
2. The bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is the cause of chlamydia. It is passed from one infected person to another through oral, vaginal, or anal sexual contact. Chlamydia infection can cause fever, abdominal pain, and discharge from the penis or vagina in some people without causing any symptoms. Antibiotics are available for treatment.
If the infection is not treated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which affects the entire female genital tract, in women. Permanent fertility impairment and debilitating chronic pelvic pain can result from this.
The infection can also spread to the fetus during pregnancy or during delivery, resulting in pneumonia or eye infections. To treat undiagnosed chlamydia, medical professionals frequently apply antibiotic ointment to a baby’s eyes at birth.
Because gonorrhea and chlamydia frequently co-occur, healthcare providers frequently treat both conditions at the same time. Everyone who tests positive for infection must receive prompt treatment to prevent sexual transmission. In order to prevent reinfection, that individual’s most recent sexual contacts should also undergo testing right away. To avoid spreading the infection from one person to another, infected individuals should adhere to their healthcare provider’s recommendations regarding the length of time they should avoid having sex after treatment.
3. Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the bacterium that causes gonorrhea. It thrives in the reproductive tract’s warm, moist areas. Painful urination and discharge from the penis or vagina are the most common symptoms. However, antibiotics can be used to treat it.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a study reveals that an investigational oral antibiotic known as zoliflodacin is well tolerated by patients and successfully cured most cases of uncomplicated gonorrhea during tests in a multicenter clinical trial.
Gonorrhea, like chlamydia, can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease if left untreated, resulting in persistent pelvic pain, permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive system, and infertility. During pregnancy, it can also be transmitted to the unborn child.
Gonorrhea can spread throughout the bloodstream and become a life-threatening illness in both men and women, infecting the mouth, throat, eyes, and rectum. Chlamydia and gonorrhea frequently coexist. People who have more than one infection usually get treatment for both at the same time. Testing should be done at the same time as the patient’s most recent sexual partners.
Gonorrhea increases an individual’s risk of contracting AIDS-causing HIV. Gonorrhea-suffering HIV-infected individuals are also more likely to spread the virus to others.
4. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is the virus that causes genital herpes. There are two distinct HSV strains that can result in genital infections: HSV of two types: type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2. An HSV-2 infection is the cause of the majority of genital herpes cases.
Most of the time, HSV-1 lesions are blisters or cold sores on the lips, but this strain can also infect the genital area through contact between the genitalia and the mouth or between the genitalia and the mouth. Most of the time, HSV-2 causes painful, watery skin blisters on or around the anus or genitals. However, a lot of people who carry these viruses don’t show any or very few symptoms.
This can be controlled with medication, but there is currently no cure for herpes. Patients can take these medications every day to reduce the likelihood that the infection will spread to their sex partners or to their unborn children during childbirth. New blisters in the genital area, which are highly contagious to others, may appear on occasion in some individuals.
A cesarean section (C-section) is required to prevent the virus from being passed to the infant during birth if the pregnant woman has lesions during labor. The skin, brain, and other organs of a newborn can be affected by HSV infection, which can be fatal.
5. Syphilis
Syphilis is brought about by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It spreads through direct contact with syphilis sores during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
The number of syphilis cases fell to their lowest level in 60 years in 2001. From that point forward, the quantity of cases has expanded practically consistently up to 2016, the latest year for which information is accessible. Men still account for the majority of infections, but the number of infections among women continues to rise.
A chancre, a painless genital sore that usually appears on the penis or in and around the vagina, is the first sign of syphilis. In most cases, chages heal on their own, but the infection does not go away on its own.
The sores increase a person’s risk of contracting HIV by two to five times. The risk of HIV transmission to a sexual partner is also increased if the person already has HIV.
Antibiotics can be used to treat syphilis. Within the first year of infection, a single antibiotic injection will cure the disease in its early stages. However, prolonged antibiotic treatment may be necessary if the condition is not detected or treated promptly.
Secondary syphilis is a condition in which the disease spreads to the skin, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints if it is not treated. In later stages, other sores, like a syphilis rash, may appear. The condition will progress to tertiary syphilis over time if treatment is not provided. It will affect the brain, eyes, and nerves, and it could kill you.
Untreated syphilis during pregnancy increases the likelihood of stillbirth and miscarriage in pregnant women. During pregnancy, syphilis can spread to the fetus, resulting in deformed bones, severe anemia, enlarged liver and spleen, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), nerve issues, blindness or deafness, meningitis, and skin rashes.
Until the chancres completely heal, people receiving treatment for syphilis must avoid sexual contact or risk spreading the disease to others. The sex partners of syphilis patients should be informed so that they can undergo an STI test and receive treatment if necessary.
