Key Facts about STIs
* More than 1 million STIs acquired daily worldwide.
- Majority of cases show no symptoms.
*Estimated 374 million new infections annually, including:
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Syphilis
- Trichomoniasis
*Over 500 million people (15–49 years) estimated to have genital herpes (HSV).
* Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection:
- Linked to 311,000+ cervical cancer deaths yearly.
*Approximately 1 million pregnant women with syphilis in 2016:
- Resulted in 350,000+ adverse birth outcomes.
* STIs impact sexual and reproductive health:
- Stigmatization
- Infertility
- Cancers
- Pregnancy complications
- Increased risk of HIV.
*Drug resistance poses a significant threat:
- Affects efforts to reduce STI burden globally.
STIs
More than 30 kinds of germs, bacterias , and viruses can spread when people have sex, like anal, vaginal, or oral sex. Some sicknesses can also pass from a pregnant person to their baby during birth or through breastfeeding. There are eight main germs that cause these sicknesses. Four can be cured: Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, and Trichomoniasis. The other four, Herpes, Hepatitis B, HIV, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV), can't be cured right now.
The tricky part is that these infections might not display any symptoms initially, making regular testing extremely important.
Detecting Problems Early and Resolving Them
A significant reason for frequent testing is to catch these infections in their early stages. At times, these infections might not cause immediate discomfort, leading to a lack of awareness about their presence. However, untreated infections can lead to severe illness down the line. Regular tests help identify these issues early, allowing for prompt treatment to prevent them from worsening.
Signs of sex infections can be different depending on the type. Sometimes, you might not feel anything at all. But if you do, these signs might show up around your private parts:
Some Symptoms can include
- Bumps, sores, or warts near your private parts or mouth.
- Swelling or bad itching around your private parts.
- Stuff coming out from your private parts.
- Weird-smelling, itchy, or strange-colored discharge from your private parts.
- Bleeding from your private parts when it's not your period time.
- Hurting during sex.
- Hurting or needing to pee a lot.
Talk about it
If you don't talk about having a sex infection (STI) because you feel ashamed or worried, it can make the infection spread more easily to you and your partner(s). Before having sex, you should ask your partners these things:
- Do you have a current STI?
- When did you last get tested for STIs?
- Are you getting treated for an STI now?
- Do you always use protection with your sexual partners?
Asking these questions can help keep you safe.
It's normal to feel strong feelings when you find out you have an STI. You might not want to tell your partner because you're embarrassed. But being open and honest with them helps build trust and understanding. If you have an STI, you can lower the chance of giving it to your partner(s) by talking about it before having sex.
How can I make sure I don't get an STI ?
The best way is to not have sex at all. But if you do, you can:
- Use a rubber condom every time you have any kind of sex. If you or your partner has a vagina, use a thin sheet for oral sex.
- Be careful when picking your sex partner. Don't have sex if you think your partner might have an STI .
- Get tested for STI regularly. This helps stop the sicknesses from spreading to other people. Ask any new sex partner to get tested before having sex for the first time.
- Don't drink alcohol or use drugs before sex. People who are not clear-headed might have sex without being safe.
- Learn the signs of an STI . If you notice any signs, go to a doctor fast.
- Find out more about STIs. When you know more, you can keep yourself and your partners safe.
Treatment of STIs.
We have good ways to treat some STIs.
For a few STIs caused by bacteria (like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis), and one caused by tiny bugs (trichomoniasis), we can cure them with medicines called antibiotics. You just need to take one dose.
But for infections like herpes and HIV, we don't have a cure. We can slow down the sickness with special medicines called antivirals. These medicines help a lot, but they can't make the sickness go away completely.
For hepatitis B, we use antivirals to fight the virus and stop it from hurting the liver.
Something to know is that STIs are getting stronger and harder to treat with the usual medicines. This is called "AMR." A lot of gonorrhoea, in particular, has become resistant to many antibiotics we used to use. This means we don't have as many options to treat it as before. The Gonococcal AMR Surveillance Programme (GASP) tells us that many antibiotics don't work well against gonorrhoea anymore, which makes it harder to treat.
Disclaimer
This is only for information purposes only. And not a prescription or medical advice.
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