first thing i thought when i search for this article, my brain filled with all my curiosity about the STD, and what form it could be of the persons who's got STD. where do this viruses or bacteria came from? or we basicly has the seed of these viruses or bacteria?
or it is just because the declination or rejection of body interconection with certain person so that it comes up with STD? i wonder why people could get this disease? since we were born, we are all clean, i mean no disease, when and why these STD occured for the first time? from whom?.... well i just couldn't find the answer for this question. :)
ok, let's just take a look of these following info on STD, i also put some pictures of one who get those disease. and don't forget to click for "the complete article" to read the whole info
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
are among the most common infectious diseases in the United States today. More than 20 different STDs have been identified, and 13 million men and women are infected each year in the United States. Depending on the disease, the infection can be spread through any type of sexual activity involving the sex organs or the mouth; the infection can also be spread through contact with blood during sexual activity.
STDs affect men and women of all ages and backgrounds.
STDs have become more common, partly because young people are becoming sexually active at a younger age and are having multiple partners.
People can pass STDs to sexual partners even if they themselves do not have any symptoms. Frequently, STDs cause no symptoms, especially in women.
Health problems from STDs tend to be more severe for women than for men. Some STDs can cause pelvic infections that may lead to scarring of the reproductive organs, which can result in an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside the uterus) and infertility for women.
STDs in women may be related to cancer of the cervix.
STDs can be passed from a mother to her baby before, during, or immediately after birth.Because the method of becoming infected is similar with all STDs, a person can easily pick up more than one infection at a time.
Experts believe that having an STD that is not AIDS increases one's risk for becoming infected with AIDS. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Causes, Depending on the disease, STDs can be spread with any type of sexual activity. STDs are most often caused by viruses and bacteria.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Symptoms
Common STDs have a variety of symptoms (if symptoms develop at all) and many different complications, including death.
Gonorrhea
Discharge from the vagina or the penis
Painful urination
Ectopic pregnancy and infertility for women most serious complications
Treatable with antibiotics
this disease also called the "clap" or "drip," gonorrhea is a contagious disease transmitted most often through sexual contact with an infected person. Gonorrhea may also be spread by contact with infected bodily fluids, so that a mother could pass on the infection to her newborn during childbirth. Both men and women can get gonorrhea. The infection is easily spread and occurs most often in people who have many sex partners.
Not all people infected with gonorrhea have symptoms, so knowing when to seek treatment can be tricky. When symptoms do occur, they are often within 2-10 days after exposure, but can take up to 30 days and include the following:
Gonorrhea Symptoms in women
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the vagina
Lower abdominal or pelvic pain
Burning when urinating
Conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes)
Bleeding between periods
Spotting after intercourse
Swelling of the vulva (vulvitis)
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In some women symptoms are so mild that they escape unnoticed.
Many women with gonorrhea discharge think they have a yeast infection and self-treat with yeast infection medications purchased over-the-counter. Because vaginal discharge can be a sign of a number of different problems, it is best to always seek the advice of a doctor to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
Gonorrhea Symptoms in men
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the penis
Burning when urinating
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Painful or swollen testicles
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In men, symptoms usually appear 2-14 days after infection.
How Is Gonorrhea Diagnosed?
Your doctor will use a swab to take a sample of fluid from the urethra in men or from the cervix in women. The specimen will then be sent to a laboratory to be analyzed. You also may be given a throat or anal culture to see if the infection is in your throat or anus. There are other tests which check a urine sample for the presence of the bacteria. You may need to wait for several days for your tests to come back from the lab.
Gonorrhea and chlamydia, another common sexually transmitted disease, often occur together, so you may be tested and treated for both.
Chlamydia
Most common of all STDs caused by bacteria
No symptoms in 80% of women and 50% of men
Discharge from the vagina or the penis, burning or pain during urination
Transmitted through vaginal, oral, or anal sexual contact
Ectopic pregnancy and infertility for women most serious complications
Treatable with antibiotics
hot to diagnosis this disease?
There are two kinds of laboratory tests to diagnose chlamydia. One involves collecting a specimen from an infected site (cervix or penis) to detect the bacterium directly. Another test that is becoming widely available can accurately detect chlamydia bacteria in a urine sample. A Pap test is not a test for chlamydia; it is a test for abnormal cervical cells.
Genital herpes:
One type of herpes typically causes cold sores in the mouth, and another type causes genital sores; however, each type can cause either type of infection.
Recurring outbreaks of blisterlike sores on the genitals
Can be transmitted from a mother to her baby during birth
Reduction in frequency and severity of blister outbreaks with treatment but not complete elimination of infection.
The classic symptom of genital herpes is a cluster of small fluid-filled blisters that break, forming painful sores that crust and heal. This process can take several days. But some people get only a rash or small bumps on the skin that appear to be pimples. Still others have different symptoms, such as painful urination, and some women have fluid discharge from the vagina.
Sores may appear four to seven days after a person is first infected. Flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen lymph glands in the groin, may also follow the initial infection. Symptoms come and go with no set pattern. One person may have an outbreak once a year, while another may have one every few weeks. Before a flare-up, a person may notice an itching, tingling, or burning sensation in the affected area, and there may be sharp pains in the pelvis or down the leg.
Herpes sores are usually worst the first time they appear. In later outbreaks the sores tend to be less painful and last for a shorter period of time.
The symptoms of genital herpes can affect any of the following places on the body:
Penis, Scrotum, Vulva, Vagina, Anus, Urethra, Thighs, Buttocks
However, many people with genital herpes never have symptoms, or they mistake them for another malady, such as:
A vaginal yeast infection
Jock itch, Insect bites, Hemorrhoids, An ingrown hair
Hepatitis (A, B, C, D)
Hepatitis B most often associated with sexual contact
Yellowish skin and eyes, fever, achy, tired, might feel like the flu
Severe complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer
No cure available, remission possible with some aggressive medications
Immunizations available to prevent hepatitis A and B
Syphilis
Syphilis develops in four stages, each with a different set of symptoms.
Primary stage
During the primary stage of syphilis, a sore (chancre) that is usually painless develops at the site where the bacteria entered the body. This commonly occurs within 3 weeks of exposure but can range from 10 to 90 days. A person is highly contagious during the primary stage.
In men, a chancre often appears in the genital area, usually (but not always) on the penis. These sores are often painless.
In women, chancres can develop on the outer genitals or on the inner part of the vagina. A chancre may go unnoticed if it occurs inside the vagina or at the opening to the uterus (cervix), because the sores are usually painless and are not easily visible.
Swelling of the lymph nodes may occur near the area of the chancre.
A chancre may also occur in an area of the body other than the genitals.
The chancre lasts for 28 to 42 days, heals without treatment, and may leave a thin scar. But just because the chancre has healed does not mean the syphilis is cured or that a person cannot pass the infection to others.
Secondary stage
Secondary syphilis is characterized by a rash that appears from 4 to 10 weeks after the chancre develops and sometimes before it heals. Other symptoms may also occur, indicating that the infection has spread throughout the body. A person is highly contagious during the secondary stage.
A rash often develops over the body and commonly includes the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
The rash usually consists of reddish brown, small, solid, flat or raised skin sores that are less than 2 cm across. But the rash may look like other more common skin problems.
Small, open sores may be present on mucous membranes. The sores may contain pus, or moist sores that look like warts (called condyloma lata) may be present.
In dark-skinned people the sores may be a lighter color than the surrounding skin.
The skin rash usually heals in 2 to 12 weeks on its own, without scarring. After healing, skin discoloration may develop. But just because the skin rash has healed does not mean the syphilis is cured or that a person cannot pass the infection to others.
When syphilis has spread throughout the body, the person may have:
A fever of usually less than 101 F.
A sore throat.
A vague feeling of weakness or discomfort throughout the body.
Weight loss.
Patchy hair loss, especially in the eyebrows, eyelashes, and scalp hair.
Swelling of the lymph nodes.
Nervous system symptoms of secondary syphilis, which can cause headaches, stiff neck, vision or hearing problems, irritability, paralysis, unequal reflexes, and irregular (different-sized) pupils.
If untreated, an infected person will progress to the latent (hidden) stage of syphilis. The latent stage is defined as the year after a person becomes infected. After the secondary-stage rash goes away, the person will not have any symptoms for a time (latent period). The latent period may be as brief as 1 year or range from 5 to 20 years.
Often during this stage, an accurate diagnosis can only be made through blood testing, the person's history, or the birth of a child with congenital syphilis.
A person is contagious during the early part of the latent stage and may be contagious during the latent period when no symptoms are present.
Relapses
About 20% to 30% of people with syphilis have a relapse of the disease during its latent stage.4 A relapse means the person was symptom-free, but then started having symptoms again. Relapses can occur several times.
When relapses no longer occur, a person is not contagious through contact. But a woman in the latent stage of syphilis may still pass the disease to her unborn baby and may have a miscarriage or a stillbirth or give birth to a baby infected with congenital syphilis.
Tertiary (late) stage
This is the most destructive stage of syphilis. If untreated, the tertiary stage may begin as early as 1 year after infection or at any time during a person's lifetime. A person with syphilis may never experience this stage of the illness.
During this stage, syphilis may cause serious blood vessel and heart problems, mental disorders, blindness, nerve system problems, and even death. The symptoms of tertiary (late) syphilis depend on the complications that develop. Complications of this stage include:
Gummata, which are large sores inside the body or on the skin.
Cardiovascular syphilis, which affects the heart and blood vessels.
Neurosyphilis, which affects the brain or the lining that covers the brain.
Congenital syphilis
Congenital syphilis refers to syphilis passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or during labor and delivery. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommend that all pregnant women be screened for syphilis because of the severe consequences of being pregnant while infected or having a child born with congenital syphilis. Screening should be done:1
At the first prenatal visit for all pregnant women.
At the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy and again at delivery for women who are at high risk of acquiring syphilis.
Congenital syphilis increases the risk of fetal death and medical complications in newborns. Syphilis enters the fetal blood system through the placenta, causing infection of the newborn or death of the fetus. Symptoms of congenital syphilis include:
A highly contagious watery discharge from the nose ("snuffles").
Painful inflammation of the bone coverings.
Contagious rash-frequently appearing over the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Reduced red blood cells in the blood (anemia).
Enlarged liver and spleen.
Swelling of the lymph nodes.
Failure to grow and develop normally (failure to thrive).
Because there are other conditions with similar symptoms, an accurate diagnosis is important for treatment.
Chancroid
Not common in the United States
Causes painful ulcers on the genitals
Can be confused with syphilis or herpes
Treatable with antibiotics
HIV/AIDS
Spread primarily by sexual contact and from sharing IV needles
Can be transmitted at the time a person becomes infected with other STDs
Fatigue, night sweats, chills or fever lasting several weeks, headaches, cough
No current cure and generally fatal, with death usually occurring after 2-3 years; medication available to slow disease progression
Genital warts (Human Papillomavirus or HPV)
Caused by a virus related to skin warts
Small, painless bumps in the genital or anal areas
(sometimes in clusters that look like cauliflower)
Various treatments available (for example, freezing or painting the warts with medication)
HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD)
in North America and certain forms of the virus can cause cervical
and penile cancer.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention at least 50% of sexually active men and women will get a genital HPV infection at some point in their lives.
After a person has been infected, it may take one to three months (or longer in some cases) for warts to appear. Some people who have been infected never get warts. If you think you have been infected, see your doctor, even if you cannot see warts.
Genital warts look like small flesh-colored, pink, or red growths in or around the sex organs. The warts may look similar to the small parts of a cauliflower or they may be very tiny and difficult to see. They often appear in clusters of three or four, and may grow and spread rapidly. They usually are not painful, although they may cause mild pain, bleeding, and itching.
HPV Vaccine Strategies
Kim pooled data to predict both the health and economic outcomes of HPV vaccination of girls age 12, with catch-up vaccinations over a five-year period of girls 13 to 21 coupled with routine cervical cancer screening.
She plugged in various strategies to include catch-up programs to ages 18, 21, or 26. The main focus was to see how well each strategy prevented cervical cancer.
To determine the cost-effectiveness, Kim took into account the benefit of an intervention such as a vaccine in terms of the person's health and also the cost of the intervention. Experts agree that costs and health benefits at a specific threshold are a good value, while those above the threshold are not a good value, at least from a public health perspective.
Kim's team plugged in an assumption that the vaccine effectiveness was going to be lifelong -- which is still an unknown because the vaccine is too new to prove that.
The cost-effectiveness for routine vaccination of 12-year-old girls, assuming they underwent screening as now recommended, was a good value.
To a point, the catch-up program was a good value, too. "We found the vaccine up to the age of 18 was consistently favorable," Kim says. "Up to age 21 was favorable under generous assumptions about its efficacy. Up to age 26 was consistently unattractive in terms of cost-effectiveness."
Kim concludes that if most 12-year-old girls get the vaccine, their cervical cancer screenings -- such as Pap tests and HPV tests -- could begin somewhat later than what is recommended by the CDC, starting within three years of first intercourse and no later than age 21. And the screenings could be done a bit less frequently, such as every three to five years.
Pubic lice
Very tiny insects living in pubic hair
Can be picked up from clothing or bedding
First notice itching in the pubic area
Treatable with creams, anti-lice agents, and combing
Scabies
Skin infection caused by a tiny mite
Highly contagious
Spread primarily by sexual contact or
from contact with skin, infested sheets, towels, or furniture
Treatment with creams
================
Male circumcision reduces HIV, cervical cancer, syphilis, and chlamydia. Is it time to reconsider its merits?
If there was a cheap, safe, one-dose vaccine that gave your newborn boy significant lifelong protection against AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as protection against cancer and various annoying infections, would you get it for him? Well, there is one. It’s called neonatal circumcision.
In studies published in the past decade, the removal of the foreskin provided a 50% reduction in HIV transmission, a threefold reduction in human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in female partners of circumcised men (HPV can cause cervical cancer), and lower rates of syphilis and chlamydia, which causes sterility and is the main sexually transmitted disease among teenagers. Circumcised infants were also roughly 10 times less likely to suffer urinary tract infections and the high fevers associated with them. And circumcision virtually eliminates serious penile cancers, which invade about 1 in 100,000 uncircumcised men.
The evidence from Africa of circumcision’s potential role in AIDS prevention led the New York City Health Department in April to begin considering outreach programs to promote circumcision among gay adult men and drug addicts.
By Arthur Allen
================
10 Ways to Reduce Your Risk
1. Use a condom every time you have sex.
A condom may protect you from STD if it covers the infected area.
2. Ask your partner if he or she has ever had a sexually transmitted disease.
Most people who have STD don't know they're infected, so ask whether he or she has had any other sexually transmitted disease. People with a history of STDs are more likely to have genital herpes.
It may be awkward, but it's important to be honest with each other. Your partner may be afraid to tell you the truth if he or she fears a negative reaction. If your partner feels comfortable talking with you, you'll be more likely to get straight answers.
3. Ask your partner about his or her sexual history.
Someone who has had many sexual partners is more likely to be infected with the herpes virus.
4. Limit the number of sexual partners you have.
The fewer sexual partners you have in your lifetime, the less likely you are to be exposed to the STD.
5. Don't have sex with a partner who has sores on his or her genitals.
If you know your partner has STD, always abstain from sex when symptoms are present. Or, if you see a sore on someone's genitals, don't have sex with that person until you're sure he or she doesn't have STD. Remember, not everyone with genital herpes has symptoms, and herpes sores can be very hard to spot.
6. Don't receive oral sex from somebody with a cold sore.
Oral herpes, which causes sores on the mouth (known as cold sores of fever blisters), can be passed to the genitals through oral sex.
7. Ask your partner to be tested.
If you think your partner is at high risk for STD, you may consider asking him or her to be tested. In that case, you should be tested, too.
8. Don't have sex while intoxicated.
Alcohol and illicit drugs lower inhibitions and impair judgment. People tend to be less careful about practicing safer sex while intoxicated and they often regret it later.
9. Abstain from sex until you have a life-long monogamous partner.
The only way to be 100% certain you won't get a sexually transmitted disease is to have just one sex partner who has no STDs -- and only if both of you stay monogamous for life.
10. Try alternate forms of sexual intimacy.
If you don't want to be monogamous or totally celibate until you find a life partner, you could greatly reduce your risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease by doing things that don't involve genital-genital contact or oral-genital contact, such as mutual masturbation.
or it is just because the declination or rejection of body interconection with certain person so that it comes up with STD? i wonder why people could get this disease? since we were born, we are all clean, i mean no disease, when and why these STD occured for the first time? from whom?.... well i just couldn't find the answer for this question. :)
ok, let's just take a look of these following info on STD, i also put some pictures of one who get those disease. and don't forget to click for "the complete article" to read the whole info
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
are among the most common infectious diseases in the United States today. More than 20 different STDs have been identified, and 13 million men and women are infected each year in the United States. Depending on the disease, the infection can be spread through any type of sexual activity involving the sex organs or the mouth; the infection can also be spread through contact with blood during sexual activity.
STDs affect men and women of all ages and backgrounds.
STDs have become more common, partly because young people are becoming sexually active at a younger age and are having multiple partners.
People can pass STDs to sexual partners even if they themselves do not have any symptoms. Frequently, STDs cause no symptoms, especially in women.
Health problems from STDs tend to be more severe for women than for men. Some STDs can cause pelvic infections that may lead to scarring of the reproductive organs, which can result in an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside the uterus) and infertility for women.
STDs in women may be related to cancer of the cervix.
STDs can be passed from a mother to her baby before, during, or immediately after birth.Because the method of becoming infected is similar with all STDs, a person can easily pick up more than one infection at a time.
Experts believe that having an STD that is not AIDS increases one's risk for becoming infected with AIDS. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Causes, Depending on the disease, STDs can be spread with any type of sexual activity. STDs are most often caused by viruses and bacteria.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Symptoms
Common STDs have a variety of symptoms (if symptoms develop at all) and many different complications, including death.
Gonorrhea
Discharge from the vagina or the penis
Painful urination
Ectopic pregnancy and infertility for women most serious complications
Treatable with antibiotics
this disease also called the "clap" or "drip," gonorrhea is a contagious disease transmitted most often through sexual contact with an infected person. Gonorrhea may also be spread by contact with infected bodily fluids, so that a mother could pass on the infection to her newborn during childbirth. Both men and women can get gonorrhea. The infection is easily spread and occurs most often in people who have many sex partners.
Not all people infected with gonorrhea have symptoms, so knowing when to seek treatment can be tricky. When symptoms do occur, they are often within 2-10 days after exposure, but can take up to 30 days and include the following:
Gonorrhea Symptoms in women
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the vagina
Lower abdominal or pelvic pain
Burning when urinating
Conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes)
Bleeding between periods
Spotting after intercourse
Swelling of the vulva (vulvitis)
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In some women symptoms are so mild that they escape unnoticed.
Many women with gonorrhea discharge think they have a yeast infection and self-treat with yeast infection medications purchased over-the-counter. Because vaginal discharge can be a sign of a number of different problems, it is best to always seek the advice of a doctor to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
Gonorrhea Symptoms in men
Greenish yellow or whitish discharge from the penis
Burning when urinating
Burning in the throat (due to oral sex)
Painful or swollen testicles
Swollen glands in the throat (due to oral sex)
In men, symptoms usually appear 2-14 days after infection.
How Is Gonorrhea Diagnosed?
Your doctor will use a swab to take a sample of fluid from the urethra in men or from the cervix in women. The specimen will then be sent to a laboratory to be analyzed. You also may be given a throat or anal culture to see if the infection is in your throat or anus. There are other tests which check a urine sample for the presence of the bacteria. You may need to wait for several days for your tests to come back from the lab.
Gonorrhea and chlamydia, another common sexually transmitted disease, often occur together, so you may be tested and treated for both.
Chlamydia
Most common of all STDs caused by bacteria
No symptoms in 80% of women and 50% of men
Discharge from the vagina or the penis, burning or pain during urination
Transmitted through vaginal, oral, or anal sexual contact
Ectopic pregnancy and infertility for women most serious complications
Treatable with antibiotics
hot to diagnosis this disease?
There are two kinds of laboratory tests to diagnose chlamydia. One involves collecting a specimen from an infected site (cervix or penis) to detect the bacterium directly. Another test that is becoming widely available can accurately detect chlamydia bacteria in a urine sample. A Pap test is not a test for chlamydia; it is a test for abnormal cervical cells.
Genital herpes:
One type of herpes typically causes cold sores in the mouth, and another type causes genital sores; however, each type can cause either type of infection.
Recurring outbreaks of blisterlike sores on the genitals
Can be transmitted from a mother to her baby during birth
Reduction in frequency and severity of blister outbreaks with treatment but not complete elimination of infection.
The classic symptom of genital herpes is a cluster of small fluid-filled blisters that break, forming painful sores that crust and heal. This process can take several days. But some people get only a rash or small bumps on the skin that appear to be pimples. Still others have different symptoms, such as painful urination, and some women have fluid discharge from the vagina.
Sores may appear four to seven days after a person is first infected. Flu-like symptoms, including fever and swollen lymph glands in the groin, may also follow the initial infection. Symptoms come and go with no set pattern. One person may have an outbreak once a year, while another may have one every few weeks. Before a flare-up, a person may notice an itching, tingling, or burning sensation in the affected area, and there may be sharp pains in the pelvis or down the leg.
Herpes sores are usually worst the first time they appear. In later outbreaks the sores tend to be less painful and last for a shorter period of time.
The symptoms of genital herpes can affect any of the following places on the body:
Penis, Scrotum, Vulva, Vagina, Anus, Urethra, Thighs, Buttocks
However, many people with genital herpes never have symptoms, or they mistake them for another malady, such as:
A vaginal yeast infection
Jock itch, Insect bites, Hemorrhoids, An ingrown hair
Hepatitis (A, B, C, D)
Hepatitis B most often associated with sexual contact
Yellowish skin and eyes, fever, achy, tired, might feel like the flu
Severe complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer
No cure available, remission possible with some aggressive medications
Immunizations available to prevent hepatitis A and B
Syphilis
Syphilis develops in four stages, each with a different set of symptoms.
Primary stage
During the primary stage of syphilis, a sore (chancre) that is usually painless develops at the site where the bacteria entered the body. This commonly occurs within 3 weeks of exposure but can range from 10 to 90 days. A person is highly contagious during the primary stage.
In men, a chancre often appears in the genital area, usually (but not always) on the penis. These sores are often painless.
In women, chancres can develop on the outer genitals or on the inner part of the vagina. A chancre may go unnoticed if it occurs inside the vagina or at the opening to the uterus (cervix), because the sores are usually painless and are not easily visible.
Swelling of the lymph nodes may occur near the area of the chancre.
A chancre may also occur in an area of the body other than the genitals.
The chancre lasts for 28 to 42 days, heals without treatment, and may leave a thin scar. But just because the chancre has healed does not mean the syphilis is cured or that a person cannot pass the infection to others.
Secondary stage
Secondary syphilis is characterized by a rash that appears from 4 to 10 weeks after the chancre develops and sometimes before it heals. Other symptoms may also occur, indicating that the infection has spread throughout the body. A person is highly contagious during the secondary stage.
A rash often develops over the body and commonly includes the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
The rash usually consists of reddish brown, small, solid, flat or raised skin sores that are less than 2 cm across. But the rash may look like other more common skin problems.
Small, open sores may be present on mucous membranes. The sores may contain pus, or moist sores that look like warts (called condyloma lata) may be present.
In dark-skinned people the sores may be a lighter color than the surrounding skin.
The skin rash usually heals in 2 to 12 weeks on its own, without scarring. After healing, skin discoloration may develop. But just because the skin rash has healed does not mean the syphilis is cured or that a person cannot pass the infection to others.
When syphilis has spread throughout the body, the person may have:
A fever of usually less than 101 F.
A sore throat.
A vague feeling of weakness or discomfort throughout the body.
Weight loss.
Patchy hair loss, especially in the eyebrows, eyelashes, and scalp hair.
Swelling of the lymph nodes.
Nervous system symptoms of secondary syphilis, which can cause headaches, stiff neck, vision or hearing problems, irritability, paralysis, unequal reflexes, and irregular (different-sized) pupils.
If untreated, an infected person will progress to the latent (hidden) stage of syphilis. The latent stage is defined as the year after a person becomes infected. After the secondary-stage rash goes away, the person will not have any symptoms for a time (latent period). The latent period may be as brief as 1 year or range from 5 to 20 years.
Often during this stage, an accurate diagnosis can only be made through blood testing, the person's history, or the birth of a child with congenital syphilis.
A person is contagious during the early part of the latent stage and may be contagious during the latent period when no symptoms are present.
Relapses
About 20% to 30% of people with syphilis have a relapse of the disease during its latent stage.4 A relapse means the person was symptom-free, but then started having symptoms again. Relapses can occur several times.
When relapses no longer occur, a person is not contagious through contact. But a woman in the latent stage of syphilis may still pass the disease to her unborn baby and may have a miscarriage or a stillbirth or give birth to a baby infected with congenital syphilis.
Tertiary (late) stage
This is the most destructive stage of syphilis. If untreated, the tertiary stage may begin as early as 1 year after infection or at any time during a person's lifetime. A person with syphilis may never experience this stage of the illness.
During this stage, syphilis may cause serious blood vessel and heart problems, mental disorders, blindness, nerve system problems, and even death. The symptoms of tertiary (late) syphilis depend on the complications that develop. Complications of this stage include:
Gummata, which are large sores inside the body or on the skin.
Cardiovascular syphilis, which affects the heart and blood vessels.
Neurosyphilis, which affects the brain or the lining that covers the brain.
Congenital syphilis
Congenital syphilis refers to syphilis passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or during labor and delivery. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommend that all pregnant women be screened for syphilis because of the severe consequences of being pregnant while infected or having a child born with congenital syphilis. Screening should be done:1
At the first prenatal visit for all pregnant women.
At the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy and again at delivery for women who are at high risk of acquiring syphilis.
Congenital syphilis increases the risk of fetal death and medical complications in newborns. Syphilis enters the fetal blood system through the placenta, causing infection of the newborn or death of the fetus. Symptoms of congenital syphilis include:
A highly contagious watery discharge from the nose ("snuffles").
Painful inflammation of the bone coverings.
Contagious rash-frequently appearing over the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Reduced red blood cells in the blood (anemia).
Enlarged liver and spleen.
Swelling of the lymph nodes.
Failure to grow and develop normally (failure to thrive).
Because there are other conditions with similar symptoms, an accurate diagnosis is important for treatment.
Chancroid
Not common in the United States
Causes painful ulcers on the genitals
Can be confused with syphilis or herpes
Treatable with antibiotics
HIV/AIDS
Spread primarily by sexual contact and from sharing IV needles
Can be transmitted at the time a person becomes infected with other STDs
Fatigue, night sweats, chills or fever lasting several weeks, headaches, cough
No current cure and generally fatal, with death usually occurring after 2-3 years; medication available to slow disease progression
Genital warts (Human Papillomavirus or HPV)
Caused by a virus related to skin warts
Small, painless bumps in the genital or anal areas
(sometimes in clusters that look like cauliflower)
Various treatments available (for example, freezing or painting the warts with medication)
HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD)
in North America and certain forms of the virus can cause cervical
and penile cancer.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention at least 50% of sexually active men and women will get a genital HPV infection at some point in their lives.
After a person has been infected, it may take one to three months (or longer in some cases) for warts to appear. Some people who have been infected never get warts. If you think you have been infected, see your doctor, even if you cannot see warts.
Genital warts look like small flesh-colored, pink, or red growths in or around the sex organs. The warts may look similar to the small parts of a cauliflower or they may be very tiny and difficult to see. They often appear in clusters of three or four, and may grow and spread rapidly. They usually are not painful, although they may cause mild pain, bleeding, and itching.
HPV Vaccine Strategies
Kim pooled data to predict both the health and economic outcomes of HPV vaccination of girls age 12, with catch-up vaccinations over a five-year period of girls 13 to 21 coupled with routine cervical cancer screening.
She plugged in various strategies to include catch-up programs to ages 18, 21, or 26. The main focus was to see how well each strategy prevented cervical cancer.
To determine the cost-effectiveness, Kim took into account the benefit of an intervention such as a vaccine in terms of the person's health and also the cost of the intervention. Experts agree that costs and health benefits at a specific threshold are a good value, while those above the threshold are not a good value, at least from a public health perspective.
Kim's team plugged in an assumption that the vaccine effectiveness was going to be lifelong -- which is still an unknown because the vaccine is too new to prove that.
The cost-effectiveness for routine vaccination of 12-year-old girls, assuming they underwent screening as now recommended, was a good value.
To a point, the catch-up program was a good value, too. "We found the vaccine up to the age of 18 was consistently favorable," Kim says. "Up to age 21 was favorable under generous assumptions about its efficacy. Up to age 26 was consistently unattractive in terms of cost-effectiveness."
Kim concludes that if most 12-year-old girls get the vaccine, their cervical cancer screenings -- such as Pap tests and HPV tests -- could begin somewhat later than what is recommended by the CDC, starting within three years of first intercourse and no later than age 21. And the screenings could be done a bit less frequently, such as every three to five years.
Pubic lice
Very tiny insects living in pubic hair
Can be picked up from clothing or bedding
First notice itching in the pubic area
Treatable with creams, anti-lice agents, and combing
Scabies
Skin infection caused by a tiny mite
Highly contagious
Spread primarily by sexual contact or
from contact with skin, infested sheets, towels, or furniture
Treatment with creams
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Male circumcision reduces HIV, cervical cancer, syphilis, and chlamydia. Is it time to reconsider its merits?
If there was a cheap, safe, one-dose vaccine that gave your newborn boy significant lifelong protection against AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as protection against cancer and various annoying infections, would you get it for him? Well, there is one. It’s called neonatal circumcision.
In studies published in the past decade, the removal of the foreskin provided a 50% reduction in HIV transmission, a threefold reduction in human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in female partners of circumcised men (HPV can cause cervical cancer), and lower rates of syphilis and chlamydia, which causes sterility and is the main sexually transmitted disease among teenagers. Circumcised infants were also roughly 10 times less likely to suffer urinary tract infections and the high fevers associated with them. And circumcision virtually eliminates serious penile cancers, which invade about 1 in 100,000 uncircumcised men.
The evidence from Africa of circumcision’s potential role in AIDS prevention led the New York City Health Department in April to begin considering outreach programs to promote circumcision among gay adult men and drug addicts.
By Arthur Allen
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10 Ways to Reduce Your Risk
1. Use a condom every time you have sex.
A condom may protect you from STD if it covers the infected area.
2. Ask your partner if he or she has ever had a sexually transmitted disease.
Most people who have STD don't know they're infected, so ask whether he or she has had any other sexually transmitted disease. People with a history of STDs are more likely to have genital herpes.
It may be awkward, but it's important to be honest with each other. Your partner may be afraid to tell you the truth if he or she fears a negative reaction. If your partner feels comfortable talking with you, you'll be more likely to get straight answers.
3. Ask your partner about his or her sexual history.
Someone who has had many sexual partners is more likely to be infected with the herpes virus.
4. Limit the number of sexual partners you have.
The fewer sexual partners you have in your lifetime, the less likely you are to be exposed to the STD.
5. Don't have sex with a partner who has sores on his or her genitals.
If you know your partner has STD, always abstain from sex when symptoms are present. Or, if you see a sore on someone's genitals, don't have sex with that person until you're sure he or she doesn't have STD. Remember, not everyone with genital herpes has symptoms, and herpes sores can be very hard to spot.
6. Don't receive oral sex from somebody with a cold sore.
Oral herpes, which causes sores on the mouth (known as cold sores of fever blisters), can be passed to the genitals through oral sex.
7. Ask your partner to be tested.
If you think your partner is at high risk for STD, you may consider asking him or her to be tested. In that case, you should be tested, too.
8. Don't have sex while intoxicated.
Alcohol and illicit drugs lower inhibitions and impair judgment. People tend to be less careful about practicing safer sex while intoxicated and they often regret it later.
9. Abstain from sex until you have a life-long monogamous partner.
The only way to be 100% certain you won't get a sexually transmitted disease is to have just one sex partner who has no STDs -- and only if both of you stay monogamous for life.
10. Try alternate forms of sexual intimacy.
If you don't want to be monogamous or totally celibate until you find a life partner, you could greatly reduce your risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease by doing things that don't involve genital-genital contact or oral-genital contact, such as mutual masturbation.
Those studies in Africa claiming 60 % reduction rate of catching HIV if circumcised only aplies to men who have unprotected reproductive sex with HIV+ prostitutes. 60% is the same as 3 out of five. Condoms give closer to five out of five protection rate as long as you don't get any infected fluids into any abrassions or irrosions elware on the epidurmis.
ReplyDeletewell, i don't know exactly, meanwhile USA & Israel do circumcision of infants and both of these countries have higher HIV infection rates than countries like Denmark where mostly men there is not circumcised.
ReplyDeletebut i feel, using condom is more safety than circumcision.