Herpes Virus 2 Infection During Sexual Contact example essay topic

In this research paper I will discuss what I believe to be the six most known and most common sexually transmitted diseases by telling you each STD's signs and symptoms, the way they are transmitted, treatments to have the symptoms leave, duration, and curability if any. First of all I would like to say that the surest way to not get one of the sexually transmitted diseases I will be taking about is abstinence. But for some who feel the need, hopefully this paper will help you better understand how important it is to practice safe sex if you are going to. But no matter how cautious you are you are still susceptible to getting one of these many terrible diseases. Keep in mind that many are not completely curable and no only harm you but other you com in contact with; not only sexual partners but if you happen to become pregnant your baby will more than likely have the disease. The STD's I will be going over are AIDS / HIV, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Genital Warts / HPV, Chlamydia, and Herpes.

AIDS / HIV is most commonly transmitted through specific sexual behaviors (anal, vaginal, or oral sex) or needle sharing with an infected person. At the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 persons in the United States were living with HIV / AIDS. In 2005, 38,096 new cases of HIV / AIDS in adults, adolescents, and children were diagnosed in the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting. It has been estimated that approximately 40,000 persons in the United States become infected with HIV each year. In the United States, HIV infection and AIDS have had a tremendous effect on men who have sex with men. Men who have sex with men accounted for 70% of all estimated HIV infections among male adults and adolescents in 2004.

An HIV-infected woman can pass the virus to her baby before or during childbirth or after birth through breastfeeding. Although the risk is extremely low in the United States, it is also possible to acquire HIV through transfusions of infected blood or blood products. There are many signs and symptoms that come with it but the most popular symptoms are depression, diarrhea, thrush, weight loss, lip dystrophy, lactic acidosis, fatigue, sinus infections, nausea / vomiting, and fever. AIDS / HIV is transmitted by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles and / or syringes (primarily for drug injection) with someone who is infected, or through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. Babies born to HIV-infected women may become infected before or during birth or through breast-feeding after birth. An infected person hold the HIV virus in blood, semen, vaginal / cervical secretions, urine and poop, saliva and tears.

HIV is present in mother's milk. In some cases, it is suspected that a babies contract AIDS from its infected mother this way. There is currently no vaccines or cure for AIDS / HIV. The only known methods of prevention are based on avoiding exposure to the virus or an antiretroviral treatment directly after a highly significant exposure, called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

PEP has a very demanding four week schedule of dosage. It also has very unpleasant side effects including diarrhea, malaise, nausea and fatigue. Gonorrhea is another very serious STD. More than 700,000 persons in the U.S. get new gonorrheal infections each year. The rate of reported gonorrheal infections was 113.5 per 100,000 persons.

Although many men with gonorrhea may have no symptoms at all, some men have some signs or symptoms that appear two to five days after infection, but symptoms can take as long as 30 days to appear. Symptoms and signs include a burning sensation when urinating, or a white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis. Sometimes men with gonorrhea get painful or swollen testicles. In women, the symptoms of gonorrhea are often mild, but most women who are infected have no symptoms. Even when a woman has symptoms, they can be so non-specific as to be mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection. The initial symptoms and signs in women include a painful or burning sensation when urinating, increased vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding between periods.

Women with gonorrhea are at risk of developing serious complications from the infection, no matter how severe the symptoms. Symptoms of rectal infection in both men and women may include discharge, anal itching, soreness, bleeding, or painful bowel movements. Gonorrhea is spread through contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus. Gonorrhea can also be spread from mother to baby during delivery. If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she may give the infection to her baby as the baby passes through the birth canal during delivery.

This can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection in the baby. Treatment of gonorrhea as soon as it is detected in pregnant women will reduce the risk of these complications. Several antibiotics can successfully cure gonorrhea in adolescents and adults. Because many people with gonorrhea also have Chlamydia, another sexually transmitted disease, antibiotics for both infections are usually given together. Persons with gonorrhea should be tested for other STDs. It is important to take all of the medication prescribed to cure gonorrhea.

Although medication will stop the infection, it will not repair any permanent damage done by the disease. People who have had gonorrhea and have been treated can get the disease again if they have sexual contact with persons infected with gonorrhea. It is curable. Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea. Syphilis has often been called "the great imitator" because so many of the signs and symptoms are indistinguishable from those of other diseases. Syphilis is most found in women 20 to 24 years of age and in men 35 to 39 years of age.

Reported cases of syphilis in newborns decreased from 492 new cases reported to 412 cases. Syphilis is passed from person to person through direct contact with a syphilis sore. Sores occur mainly on the external genitals, vagina, anus, or in the rectum. Sores also can occur on the lips and in the mouth.

Transmission of the organism occurs during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. It is important to know that Syphilis cannot be spread through contact with toilet seats, doorknobs, swimming pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, shared clothing, or eating utensils. Those are rumors. Syphilis can infect the baby of a woman during her pregnancy. Depending on how long a pregnant woman has been infected, she may have a high risk of having a stillbirth. An infected baby may be born without signs or symptoms of disease.

If the baby is not treated immediately, the baby can and most likely will develop serious problems within a few weeks. Untreated babies may become developmentally delayed, have seizures, and die. Syphilis is easy to cure in its early stages. A single intramuscular injection of penicillin will cure a person who has had syphilis for less than a year. Additional doses are needed to treat someone who has had syphilis for longer than a year. For people who are allergic to penicillin, other antibiotics are available to treat syphilis.

Treatment will not repair damage already done. Other than that it is curable. Syphilis, can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. Correct and consistent use of latex condoms can reduce the risk of syphilis only when the infected area or site of potential exposure is protected. Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva, or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum.

Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own. Some of these viruses are called "high-risk" types, and may cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to cancer if the genitals and genital areas. Others are called "low-risk" types, which cause genital warts. Genital warts are single or multiple growths or bumps that appear in the genital area, and sometimes are cauliflower shaped. For those who choose to be sexually active, a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is the strategy most likely to prevent future genital HPV infections.

Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States. 929,462 Chlamydia were reported to from 50 states and the District of Columbia. An estimated 2.8 million Americans are infected with Chlamydia each year. Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacteria that can cause serious damage to women's reproductive organs. Chlamydia is known as a "silent" disease because about three quarters of infected women and about half of infected men have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure.

In women, the bacteria initially infect the cervix and the urethra. Women who have symptoms might have an abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation when urinating. When the infection spreads some women still have no signs or symptoms. Some other Women experience lower abdominal pain, low back pain, nausea, fever, pain during intercourse, or bleeding between menstrual periods. Chlamydia infection of the cervix can spread to the rectum.

Men with signs or symptoms might have a discharge from their penis or a burning sensation when urinating. Men might also have burning and itching around the opening of the penis. Chlamydia can also be found in the throats of women and men having oral sex with an infected partner. There is evidence that untreated Chlamydia infections in expected mothers can lead to premature delivery. Babies who are born to infected mothers usually get Chlamydia infections in their eyes and respiratory tracts.

Chlamydia is a leading cause of early infant pneumonia and pink eye in newborns. Even though Chlamydia is able to spread very easily, can be treated and cured with antibiotics just as easy. Latex condoms can reduce the risk of transmission of Chlamydia. Chlamydia screening is recommended for all sexually active women no matter how many partners she may have. The last STD that I will be talking about today is Herpes. Between the late 1970's and the early 1990's, the number of Americans with genital herpes infection increased 30 percent.

Results of a nationally representative study show that genital herpes infection is common in the United States. Nationwide, at least 45 million people ages 12 and older, or one out of five adolescents and adults, have had genital HSV infection. Herpes virus 1 and herpes virus 2 can be found in and released from the sores that the viruses cause, but they also are released between outbreaks from skin that does not appear to be broken or to have a sore. Generally, a person can only get Herpes virus 2 infection during sexual contact with someone who has a genital Herpes virus 2 infection.

Transmission can occur from an infected partner who does not have a visible sore and may not know that he or she is infected. HSV-1 can cause genital herpes, but it more commonly causes infections of the mouth and lips, so-called "fever blisters". Genital Herpes virus 1 outbreaks recur less regularly than genital Herpes virus outbreaks. Most people infected with Herpes virus 2 are not aware of their infection. However, if signs and symptoms occur during the first outbreak, they can be quite pronounced. The first outbreak usually occurs within two weeks after the virus is transmitted, and the sores typically heal within two to four weeks.

Other signs and symptoms during the primary episode may include a second crop of sores, and flu-like symptoms like a fever and swollen glands. However, most individuals with Herpes virus 2 infection may never have sores, or they may have very mild signs that they do not even notice or that they mistake for insect bites or another skin condition. Most people diagnosed with a first episode of genital herpes can expect to have at least four to five outbreaks within a year. Over time these recurrences usually decrease in frequency. There is no treatment that can cure herpes, but antiviral medications can shorten and prevent outbreaks during the period of time the person takes the medication. Daily suppressive therapy for symptomatic herpes can reduce transmission to partners.

Correct and consistent use of condoms can reduce the risk of genital herpes only when the infected area or site of potential exposure is protected. Since a condom may not cover all infected areas, condoms don't guarantee protection from genital herpes. Persons with herpes should not have any sexual activity with uninfected partners when lesions or other symptoms of herpes are present. It is important to know that even if a person does not have any symptoms he or she can still infect sex partners. So obviously none of these sound fun. So how do you not get them?

Its easy. Say "NO" to having any kind of sexual intercourse. For abstinence to be effective, people must not have any kind of sex, whether vaginal, oral, or anal. Some people wait until they are past their teens.

Some people wait until they get married. Others choose not to have sex at all. Choosing when or if to have sex is a hard decision for everyone. People must take responsibility and accept whatever might happen because of a choice they make.

Abstinence from sex is the surest way not to get STDs or pregnant. Be bigger and better then teens who chose to submit themselves to the dangers of having sex. Say "NO" to people who ask you to be sexually active and help stop STD's from traveling more than they already have..