KANU SMITH

My Project on Sexual Transmitted Infections

Grade 74

Pictures of Six Sexual Transmitted Infection

Chlamydia

Gonorrhoea

What Are Sexual Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted diseases (STD), also referred to as sexually transmitted infections (STI) and venereal diseases (VD), are illnesses that have a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behaviour, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex. While in the past, these illnesses have mostly been referred to as STDs or VD, in recent years the term sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been preferred, as it has a broader range of meaning; a person may be infected, and may potentially infect others, without having a disease. Some STIs can also be transmitted via the use of IV drug needles after its use by an infected person, as well as through childbirth or breastfeeding. Sexually transmitted infections have been well known for hundreds of years, and venereology is the branch of medicine that studies these diseases.

Five Sexual Transmitted Diseases

Chlamydia
In 2012, about 190,000 people were diagnosed with chlamydia in English GUM clinics. Many more were diagnosed by GPs or in community screening programmes. Countless others have acquired the infection, but they do not realise it. Chlamydia is the most common and fastest-spreading sexually transmitted disease in the UK. It's caused by a bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis. Unfortunately, many people (particularly females) have no symptoms at all. Where symptoms do occur, they may include pain in passing urine and a discharge. They usually appear approximately 7 to 21 days after infection. Chlamydia can also cause a form of conjunctivitis in adults. Also, this eye infection may occur in the newborn babies of mothers who have chlamydia.

Gonorrhoea
In 2011, the incidence of gonorrhoeal infection (the clap) rose by an alarming 25 per cent in England. GUM clinics saw about 21,000 new cases of gonorrhoea in the year. Gonorrhoea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that grows and multiplies quickly in moist, warm areas of the body such as the cervix, urethra, mouth, or rectum. The cervix is the most common site of infection in women. However, the disease can also spread to the Fallopian tubes and other internal genital organs, causing such conditions as salpingitis and pelvic inflammatory disease. These may lead to to infertility. Gonorrhoea is most commonly spread during genital contact, but it can also be passed from the genitals of one partner to the throat of the other during oral sex. Gonorrhoea of the rectum can occur in people who practise anal sex. In pregnant women, gonorrhoea can be passed from an infected woman to her newborn infant during delivery.

Genital herpes

In 2011, about 31,000 new cases of genital herpes were seen at GUM clinics in England. In addition, it is believed that some thousands of other people developed herpes but were not seen at a clinic. Genital herpes is a highly contagious viral condition caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It infects the skin and mucous membranes of the genitals or rectum, but it can also appear in areas such as the mouth, particularly the lips. Its chief symptom is an outbreak of small blisters, and these can be very painful. It's transmitted primarily through physical and sexual contact. During birth, the presence of herpes simplex virus in the birth canal is a threat to the infant's life.

HIV and AIDS

In 2011, 5,600 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in the UK. This is actually a slight decline on the previous year. There were 4,050 men, and 1,550 women. Also, an unknown number of people caught HIV but did not realise it. Forty eight per cent of those who were diagnosed with HIV last year were men who have sex with men (MSM). And 47 per cent acquired the virus through heterosexual (male-female) contact. The remaining 5 per cent was mainly made up of intravenous drug users and people who received infected blood transfusions overseas. The Health Protection Agency estimates that currently there are about 90,000 people in the UK who are HIV-positive, but roughly 24,000 of them do not know that they have the virus. Some of those who are HIV-positive will go on to develop AIDS. In Britain, there were 375 deaths from AIDS in 2011. AIDS is a potentially lethal disease, which is caused by the HIV virus. HIV means 'human immunodeficiency virus'. HIV invades and destroys the immune system, which protects the body from infection. This means that a person who carries the HIV virus is prone to many different illnesses and may die from diseases that are harmless to healthy people. In some countries, particularly those located in Sub-Saharan Africa, the HIV rates are very high.

For instance, in the Republic of South Africa it's estimated that about 11 per cent of the population is HIV-positive.

Genital warts
In 2011, English GUM clinics saw 76,000 new cases of genital warts, an increase of 1 per cent on the previous year. Many other people develop warts, but they are not seen at clinics. Warts, or condylomata acuminata, are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). Many months can pass from the time of infection to the actual development of warts, so it may be very difficult to determine who you got them from. In women, HPV can lead to microscopic changes in the cervix and to the development of cervical cancer. HPV is now thought to be associated with various other cancers, including carcinoma of the anus and of the throat and adjoining regions. In 2012, it seems increasingly likely that throat cancer may be linked to HPV infection during oral sex.

Syphilis
In 2011, the incidence of syphilis went up by about 10 per cent. Almost 3,000 cases were seen at GUM clinics. About three-quarters of all cases occurred in men who have sex with men (MSM). If left untreated, syphilis is a dangerous and life-threatening disease. It's caused by a corkscrew-shaped germ called Treponema pallidum. It's passed on by intercourse or by almost any other form of sexual interaction, including anal sex. The first symptom appears between 9 and 90 days after exposure to the germ that causes it. A small lump develops at the infection site (usually the penis, the anus or the vagina), and this soon breaks down to form a painless ulcer. Later, there is a secondary stage (characterised by fever, rashes and throat ulcers), and eventually a tertiary stage (in which the germ may attack the brain, spinal cord and other organs).