Thursday, May 23, 2013

STD - Diseases and Preventive Measures


Knowledge is power! Being well informed about Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs is your first step in fighting the disease. As the name suggests, STDs are commonly transmitted by infected individuals through unprotected sexual intercourse. Some strains of STDs can be transmitted by direct contact with the infected person through exposure to open sores and infectious body fluids and discharges. A drug user sharing unsanitary needles is another way to get infected. Sexually active people with multiple partners, having same sex intercourse, sex with a STD infected person and the practice of unprotected sex exposes one to a high risk of STD infection.

STD is life threatening. Though this disease is either bacterial or viral in nature both are very infectious. The effects on the patient can be devastating and can even develop to more complicated health problems. Some strains of Bacterial STDs are curable but are very recurrent. Viral STDs have no proven cure. The treatment for this type of STD is for the alleviation of its symptoms and to prevent its further development and transmission.

STD symptoms are hard to detect. Some types may show no visible symptoms at all making it difficult for the person to know that he is infected. The best thing to do when a person suspects that he is exposed to infection is to go to undergo a physical examination in an STD testing center. Some STDs may show symptoms that may be confused for a harmless allergy or a typical flu so it is best being checked to eliminate the probability of misdiagnosis.

STD is a long list of diseases. To be specific, these diseases are Chlamydia, Genital Herpes (HSV-2), Genital Warts, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis B (HBV), HIV and AIDS, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), Pubic Lice (CRABS), Syphilis, Trichomoniasis and Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). It is not enough to know the names and nature of these diseases. To really win the battle against STDs is to prevent the disease from infecting people and from spreading further.

STD testing centers provide services for the prevention and treatment of this disease. Educating the general public on how this disease can be transmitted as well its harmful effects on the human body is essential for its prevention. By providing counseling to people who are of great risk of exposure to STD can help lessen the occurrence of STDs. Thru counseling, high risk candidates are given tips on how to avoid infection by way of changing their sexual behavior and practices.

Identifying the asymptomatic symptoms of infected patients can result to the proper diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Evaluation, treatment and counseling are also extended to the sexual partners of infected people. This prevents the further transmission of STDs to other sexual partners and the re-infection of the disease once the patient has been treated. Another service STD centers have is to give pre-exposure vaccinations of preventable STDs to persons at risk but not yet infected. Vaccinations for the prevention of Hepatitis can be given to patients who do not show any symptoms of this disease.

No comments:

Post a Comment