SEXUAL HEALTH: What You Need To Know About These 6 Common STDs

Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs are diseases that spread from one person to another via sexual contact. It spreads when a person carrying the disease-causing organism engages in any kind of sexual activity including, oral, vaginal, anal or genital with another partner without using protection.
The best way to prevent an STD is to practice safe sex at all times. Even so, the number of STD cases is on a rise as many people do not recognise the disease quickly and therefore continue to spread it further.
This article highlights some of the most common STDs one should watch out for.
Chlamydia - Chlamydia is one of the most common STD’s. It is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis which affects a man’s penile urethra and a woman’s cervix. Many times people don’t realise they’ve contracted the disease for months or even years. The most common symptoms to diagnose chlamydia include burning while urinating, abnormal genital discharge and pain during intercourse. A person can be best protected from Chlamydia by practicing safe sex. Chlamydia is also curable.
AIDS/HIV - AIDS/HIV is probably the most commonly known and feared STD. It is caused by a virus called the human immunodeficiency virus, which can be found in any bodily fluids including semen, blood, or breast milk. Most people who’ve contracted the disease show symptoms like flu, fatigue, swollen lymph glands, skin rash, nausea within two months. Although there is no complete cure for AIDS, if diagnosed early, it can be prevented from progressing with a combination of highly active anti-retroviral drugs.
Herpes - Herpes is a silent disease and one may not even know about it if your partner has it. It is contagious and can spread via skin to skin touch. For example, mouth to genital or genital to genital. There are times where people don’t show visible sores but the most common indication of herpes are sores that arise on the penis, vagina, anus or mouth. Even though there is no permanent cure to herpes, there are medical treatments to treat it. Once infected, this virus never goes away and keeps reoccurring two to four times a year.
Crabs - Crabs or pubic lice are mites that lodge themselves in your genitals, hands, fingers or chest hair. They appear as eggs or lice attached to the hair and can spread if left untreated. They cause a person to itch the affected area. Crabs are passed via sexual contact but they can also be contracted from infected bed linen, clothing or toilet seats.
Syphilis - Syphilis is a serious STD, which may not always show symptoms and can be very dangerous. It is caused by a bacterial infection called Treponema Pallidum and is transmitted via direct contact when there is no condom involved. Although symptoms are rare, sores around the rectum, vagina, mouth or genital area indicate the presence of the syphilis virus. There can be one or more sores that appear like big bug bites that are painless. They could also be accompanied by hair loss, sore throat or patchy white skin rash. The easiest way to diagnose it is by testing your blood. The good part is that it can be treated by penicillin or tetracycline. But if left untreated it can cause severe problems like blindness, brain or heart damage or death.
Genital Warts - Genital warts are the most commonly contracted STD. They are caused by a virus called Human Papilloma, which pops up in form of warts around the genital area, hence the name genital warts. Once a person is infected, it may take about three months for the warts to appear. These warts are highly contagious and can cause other symptoms like muscle aches, pain while urinating or swollen glands near the genitals. Even if a person doesn’t see any warts but experiences the following symptoms, he/she should visit a doctor immediately before it gets serious. Unfortunately, this virus cannot be permanently treated although the warts caused by it can be removed every time they appear.