Sexually Transmitted Infections

Every day, there are over 1 million sexually transmitted infections that are acquired worldwide. Many of these infections are linked to sexually transmitted diseases which consist of gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, HIV, hepatitis B, and HPV. The main way STIs spread are through sexual contact such as vaginal, oral, and anal sex. Some can also be transmitted through breastfeeding and childbirth. The majority of the people who have an STI aren’t even aware they have it since they are asymptomatic. Symptomatic patients can have vaginal discharge in women, urethral discharge in men, genital ulcers, abdominal pain, anal itching, genital bleeding, burning sensation while urinating, and painful intercourse.

Sexually transmitted infections have a direct impact on reproductive and sexual health through stigmatization, pregnancy complications, cancers, and infertility. For example, of the 1 million pregnant women who had syphilis in 2016, half of the births led to stillbirths or newborn deaths. The newborn is also more prone to sepsis, low birth weight, congenital deformities, and neonatal conjunctivitis. HPV infections are closely linked to cervical cancers and cervical cancer deaths. Individuals who have hepatitis B are at risk of getting cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Half of the infections are in people between the ages of 15 and 24. Younger people are more prone to acquiring STDs because they are biologically at a higher risk, don’t get the proper testing, are hesitant to discuss it with their health care provider, and don’t have insurance or transportation. One of the biggest issues concerning the spread of STIs is related to the fact that they are socially stigmatized. People tend to be looked at differently because they are infected with a STI. This is partly due to people being judgmental about sex or it being a taboo topic in many communities. Many people equate having an STI to being “dirty” giving it a negative connotation and pushing people even further away from getting tested regularly. Since the majority of the people with an STI are asymptomatic, the stigma further propagates the spread of STIs.

One of the most effective methods of preventing STIs are condoms when used currently. It is important for both people to get tested for STIs beforehand. There are also safe vaccines available for Hepatitis B and HPV that could prevent millions of deaths. Diagnosis of STIs is made through diagnostic tests. There are currently inexpensive, rapid tests available for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. They can provide accurate results in 15-20 minutes and require minimal training. Regarding treatment, most bacterial and parasitic STIs are usually curable with an antibiotic regimen. For herpes and HIV, antivirals are usually the course of treatment even though they can’t cure the disease. There have been marked cases of antimicrobial resistance to the antibiotics prescribed for STIs which is why prevention with behavioral change and sex education is so critical.

References:

CDC. (2022, April 12). Adolescents and stds. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/std/life-stages-populations/stdfact-teens.html

World Health Organization. (2021, November 22). Sexually transmitted infections (stis). World Health Organization. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sexually-transmitted-infections-(stis)