Download Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS

Sexually Transmitted Infections
and AIDS
THE RISKS OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY
Sexually Transmitted Infections
• STI
• Any pathogen that spreads from one person
to another during sexual contact
• 19 million new cases of STIs each year
• 3 million occur in people under the age of 20
• $10 billion in healthcare costs
Harmful Effects
• Short Term
– Pain, discomfort, embarrassment
• Long Term
– Increased risk of certain cancers, increased risk of
infertility
• Many can be treated with medicine
• Some are incurable
• You cannot develop immunity to an STI
Risky Behaviors & STI Epidemic
• Ignoring Risks
– Being sexually active puts you at risk
– Don’t take proper precautions
– “It can’t happen to me”
• Multiple Partners
– More sexual partners = greater chance of getting an STI
• Not Seeking Treatment
– Embarrassed
– Don’t recognize the symptoms
– No symptoms
Avoiding STIs
• Mainly transmitted through sexual contact
• Can be transmitted through contact of blood
of an infected person
• STIs are PREVENTABLE!!
PRACTICE ABSTINENCE!!!
• Abstinence – not having sexual intercourse,
oral sex, or anal sex
• The most certain way to not contract an STI is
to practice abstinence!
• Even if you have been sexually active, you can
still start to practice abstinence now
• Get tested
Avoid Drugs
• Blood to blood contact
• Sharing of needles
– Drugs or steroids; body piercings or tattoos
• Not only are the people who use the needles
at risk, so are their sexual partners
• Drugs and alcohol play a role in the STI
epidemic because they impair the ability to
think clearly
Choose Responsible Friends
• Choose friends who also practice these
behaviors
• Friends who support your decisions make it
easier to resist the pressure to use drugs or
engage in sexuality activity
• Going out in groups, instead of as a couple,
makes it easier to choose abstinence
KINDS OF STIs
STIs
• Infectious disease
• Caused by pathogens
– Bacteria, viruses, protozoan's
• Early diagnosis and treatment is essential in
preventing long term health problems
Trichomoniasis
• Caused by a protozoan that infects the urinary tract
or vagina
• Males—painful urination, a clear discharge from
the penis, itching; sometimes no symptoms
• If not cured can lead to inflammation of the lining
of the urethra, called urethritis
• Females—itching and burning in the vagina,
unpleasant smelling, yellowish discharge, painful
urination
• If not treated can lead to vaginitis, a vaginal
infection or irritation
Human Papilloma Virus - HPV
• Most common viral STI in the US
• Often no symptoms
• Immune system may destroy the virus or it
may remain in the body for life
• Can lead to genital warts or cervical cancer in
women
• Vaccine for girls 9 to 26—protects against 4
types of the HPV virus that cause 70% of
cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts
Chlamydia
• Most common bacteria STI in the US
• Can be cured with antibiotics
• Males—painful urination and discharge from
the penis; can lead to urethritis
• Females—yellowish vaginal discharge; can
lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a
serious infection of the RPS
• PID can lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy
Hepatitis
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Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HBC)
Attack the liver
Often no symptoms
Fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea
Can lead to liver cancer or cirrhosis (scar
tissue)
• No cure
• Children are vaccinated against HBV
Gonorrhea
• Bacterial
• Infects urinary tract of males and females and the
reproductive organs of females
• Males—thick, pus-like discharge from penis,
painful urination
• Females—pus-like discharge from the vagina or
urinary tract and painful urination
• Symptoms mild or not always present
• Infected pregnant female can transmit to baby at
birth—babies given medicated eye drops
• Treatment requires antibiotics
Genital Herpes
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Virus—herpes simplex virus
1 out of 5; 12 and older
Symptoms may be hardly noticeable
Painful blisters on or around the genitals
No cure
Infected people experience outbreaks of blisters
throughout their lives
• Can pass herpes whether blisters are present or not
• A pregnant woman can infect her child during birth,
causing blindness and possible death
• C-section can prevent this
Syphilis
• Bacteria
• 3 stages
– 1st stage – painless sore appears
– 2nd stage – sore appears in the mouth; flu-like
symptoms develop
– 3rd stage – symptoms may disappear for years;
bacteria will attack internal parts of the body; can lead
to brain damage, paralysis, and heart disease if left
untreated
• Can be treated and cured with antibiotics
• Pregnant woman can pass to her baby
Seeking Treatment
• People who participate in high-risk behaviors
should get medical checkups every 6 months
• If you suspect you are infected you should seek
prompt medical treatment
• Notify sexual partners
• If STI is not curable, DR will offer advice about
how to live with it and prevent from passing it
on
• Clinics