Sociology

Sexually transmitted infections have been a major health issues for many years. They are illnesses or infections transmitted from one person to another through sexual contact. They are also called sexually transmitted infections or venereal diseases. STDs have been known to exist for centuries but the emergence of Aids in the second half of the 20th century has proved to be great challenge in the control of sexually transmitted infections. In many cases individuals who have the infections infects others without them exhibiting any symptoms. Some STDs do not show any symptoms until the last stages when the disease is fatal.

Sexually transmitted diseases have different causative agents such as bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoa and parasites. Bacterial infections include syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia and chancroid while candidiasis and tinea cruris are fungal infections. HIVAids, genital herpes, hepatitis B and C, human papillomaviruses are viral infections while sexually transmitted parasites include scabies and crab louse. All sexually transmitted infections are preventable while others such as hepatitis B have very effective vaccines. However, many viral sexually transmitted infections have no ultimate cure and are fatal leaving prevention as the only control method.

This research paper seeks to discuss the most common sexually transmitted infections in the population. It looks at the general information about the disease which includes the causative agents, how they are transmitted, common symptoms and diagnostic methods and possible treatment and prevention measures

Introduction  
Sexually transmitted diseases or sexually transmitted infections refer to infections transmitted from one person to another through sexual contact. These diseases are caused by organisms transferred from one individual to another in the course of sexual activity. The sexual activity may include more sexual intercourse and activities such as oral sex, kissing and use of sex toys can result into transmission of STIs.  Sexually transmitted diseases have existed for a very long time among the human population but among them, the most dangerous one was first diagnosed in the second half of the 20th century.

Aids (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) has been the most important STI since its recognition in 1984. Up to today, no cure for Aids has been developed despite a lot of resources being diverted to fund research on Aids. However, there are other STIs such as HPV and hepatitis B and C which have no perfect cure but have not attracted as much attention as Aids. Other STI are treatable while other vaccines have been developed against them. The greatest challenge on the control of STI has been the presence of the disease in some individuals, who spread it to others without exhibiting any symptoms. The best approach of dealing with sexually transmitted infections is therefore creating awareness among the public through education on the infections and possible methods of self protection from the infections. However, there has been heated debates among the medical practitioners on the prevention measures against STIs especially Aids. Some practitioners advocate for safe sex while others argue that there is no safe sex and therefore the only prevention measure is abstinence. The only sex that is considered safe is the case of a monogamous family where both partners are not infected with any STI. Many people believe that kissing may not result into transmission of STIs, but that is not always the case. Various sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis and genital herpes can be transmitted through harmless activities such as kissing. It is important for the public to be aware that any sexual activity has some risks involved. The use of condoms has however had a great impact on the control of sexually transmitted infections. Although condom use has significantly reduced the infection of diseases such as gonorrhea, they are not a hundred percent safe incase of genital herpes, syphilis and Aids. Therefore, the solution to the spread of sexually transmitted infection is medical intervention at early stages of the disease and counseling services for individuals who are at risk of infection (Woods, 2003).

Sexually transmitted infections are either bacterial (gonorrhea, syphilis), viral (genital herpes, Aids, human papillomaviruses and genital warts, hepatitis B and C) or fungal. Some of the most common sexually transmitted infections include

Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is an STI caused by Neisseria gonorrheae bacteria which is transmitted sexually. It is one of the oldest known STI and doctors estimates that more than a million women in the world today have the infection. The bacteria responsible for the disease require special conditions for survival and cannot survive outside the human body. It is commonly found in moist parts of the body such as vagina, uterus, urethra, throat and rectum.

In more than half of the women infected with gonorrhea, there are no symptoms of the disease during the early stages but man exhibit symptoms in the early stages.  Some of the symptoms however includes burning sensation when urinating, vaginal discharge which may be yellowish, swelling and aching of genitals. Advanced disease may severely damage the pelvic, ovaries and fallopian tubes. This advanced stage of gonorrhea may result into pelvic inflammation disease if the disease is not treated early. Over 10 of women infected with pelvic inflammation disease are infected with gonorrhea and is characterized by fever, lower abdominal pains, pelvic cramping and painful experience during sexual intercourse. It may lead to more complications such as inability of the uterus to hold pregnancy or ever worse lead to infertility. Diagnosis involves swabbing the infested areas and identification of the bacteria through culturing or genetically. It can be treated by use of antibiotics and is one of the STIs that are easy to prevent. This is because it is caused by bacteria that can only survive under special conditions and correct use of condom can prevent an infection (Barlow, 2006).

Syphilis
Syphilis has also existed for almost a century among human kind. It is caused by spirochete bacteria called Treponema pallidum. It is a spiral bacterium that wiggles vigorously and infects by borrowing into the tissues around the moist genital parts producing a painless ulcer.

Syphilis exhibits itself in three stages. The first stage is called the latent stage where a chancre (ulcer) develops after ten days to three months after infection. The disease is very contagious during this period incase of contact with the ulcer. Incase the ulcer is outside the womans body or on the scrotum infection can not be prevented through use of condom. Secondary syphilis is the second stage of the disease where the disease becomes systematic. It develops months after infection and the ulcers have faded away and last for one to one and half months. There are a number of symptoms during this period which may include skin rash, loss of hair, fever, sore throat, headache and genital warts among others. After the secondary stage the infected person enters another latent stage where there are no symptoms but the patient carries the infection. This latent stage can last for up to over 20 years before the third stage of the disease start to develop. At this stage however, the disease is not contagious. The third stage of the disease is characterized by heart complications, brain complications, sight deterioration, deafness and development of nodules in different organs. The damage to the body during this stage is severe and may be vital. Diagnosis involves identification of the bacteria by scraping the ulcer or blood tests such as VDRL or RPR tests. Treatment of this infection depends on the stage of the disease. Treatment in the initial stage involves penicillin injections or use of other antibiotics such as tetracycline and doxycycline (Peeling  Sparling, 1999)

Chancroid
Chancroid is another bacterial sexually transmitted infection which is caused by Hemophilus ducreyi bacteria. The infection starts three to ten days after infection as a tender bump on the exposed parts of genital skin. After a few days, the bump turns into a painful ulcer which is accompanied by swollen lymph nodes. However, these symptoms occur in only a third of all infections. The infection is more common in developing countries and cases of infection in the United States are not common. There is no specific diagnosis for chancroid and this is identified by elimination. A patient with ulcers around the genitals and tests negative for syphilis and genital herpes may be suffering from chancroid (Stppler, 2010).    

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (Aids)
Aids is a condition caused by infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Infection by HIV diminishes the immune system which leads to the development of the syndrome where the body becomes very vulnerable to other infections. The weakened immune system also leads to development of various cancers in different parts of the body. The virus is transmitted through sexual intercourse, sharing of body piercing objects and from mothers to their newborn babies. Most of individuals will show a positive antibody test within four months of infection. Individual however do not develop any symptoms after infection but majority exhibit nonspecific symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting and joint pains among others. On average, the development of Aids takes ten years from date of infection. This is the time symptoms that are related to suppressed immune system start appearing. Complication at this stage includes strange infections, loss of weight, cancers, dementia and eventually death. At this stage, the infection move from HIV infection to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. There is no cure for Aids but there are various controls that are employed to delay the development of Aids. This includes the use of ARVs and good living habits (Stppler, 2010).

Genital Herpes
Genital herpes which are known by the common name as herpes is caused by a virus called herpes simplex virus. It is transmitted through contact of moist surfaces in the mouth or in the genitals. The virus is able to enter the lining into the nerve roots. The virus then travels to the spinal cord through the nerve root where it stays permanently. The initial outbreak of the infection in the body involves the virus traveling to the infected part from the spinal chord and causes blisters on the skin. Subsequent outbreaks are more sporadic. There are two types of herpes simplex virus, HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-2 mainly causes lesions around the genitals and the anus while HSV-1 causes blisters around the mouth. Herpes are closely related to compromised immune system and it is estimated that over 50 million Americans are infected with the virus. Majority of these Americans are unaware of their infection due to minimum symptoms and discomfort as a result of the disease. There is no known cure for the infection although there are various treatments for the outbreaks (Stppler, 2010).  

Human papillomaviruses and genital warts
There are numerous types of human papillomaviruses which are responsible for genital warts. Genital warts also called venereal warts affect both male and female genitals. The virus is transmitted through sexual contacts. There are other HPV which are found in different parts of the body where they are responsible for common warts. These viruses are also believed to be responsible for cervical cancer in women and penile and anal cancers in men. Among the American population today, HPV is considered the most common infection transmitted through sexual contact with over three quarters of adults in America having been infected at least once in their lifetime. The infection does not necessarily lead to development of cancer or warts and many infected individual do not have any symptoms. It is therefore difficult to determine the exact number of infected individuals in the population. There are also suggestions that the immune system of an infected person is capable of clearing the virus from the body. However, there are cases of asymptomatic individuals spreading the infection to other people. The appearance of lesions around the genitals always prompts treatment without need for further tests. Pap smear can also be used as a test for HPV although it is not the designated diagnosis. Just like most of other viral STIs, HPV does not have an ultimate cure. The treatment given however treats the lesions but does not prevent the spread of the virus. Incase of precancerous changes in a woman as a result of HPV virus, medication which may involve surgical removal of the cancerous cell is recommended. HPV has attracted a lot of interest among the scientists in the past few years leading to a vaccine against sexually transmitted HPV (Stppler, 2010).    
Hepatitis B
Another common viral sexually transmitted infection is hepatitis B (HBV) which causes liver inflammation. Although sexual contact is the most common method of transmitting hepatitis B virus, many people do not view it as an STI. Sexual contact accounts for over 30 percent of hepatitis B infections. Previously, blood transfusion was the major mode of transmission but this has reduced due to improved blood screening. It accounts up to two millions deaths annually. It causes acute and chronic liver inflammation which results into liver cancer or failure. However, if an individual suffering from acute infection is treated, he develops immunity against the virus in the future but less than half of these acute infections have symptoms. Common symptoms of hepatitis B includes jaundice, nausea, abdominal pains, fever in the early stages and edema and ascites in the late stages. The infection can effectively be protected using vaccine which is recommended at birth. Vaccine is recommended among individual who are at high risk of infections such as sexually active adults, health workers, drug abusers, blood recipients and individuals of Southeast Asia (Stppler, 2010).

Hepatitis C
This is also a liver inflammation disease as a result of infection by hepatitis C virus. It can also be acute or chronic. It is transmitted through sexual contact but not as commonly as the case of hepatitis B and is not usually considered as an STI. It is more common among illegal drug uses due to shared body piercing objects. It is also estimated that babies born of mother infected with the virus are more likely to be infected compared to other babies. Most people live with the infection without any symptom which results in delayed treatment. Contrary to the case of hepatitis B, over three quarters of infections develop to chronic levels (Barlow, 2006).

Conclusion
Based on the large number of sexually transmitted diseases, there is always a risk when an individual has multiple sexual partners. Sexually transmitted diseases are viral, bacterial or fungal. Most of bacterial infections can be treated using antibiotic while majority of viral diseases have no ultimate cure. However, the most important thing about sexually transmitted infections is that they all can be prevented. The use of condom has reduced significantly the rate of STIs infections but research indicates that use of condoms does not eliminate all the risks involved. Therefore, safe sex only exists in the case of single sexual partner who is not infected.