Many people think there are only two STDs - syphilis and gonorrhea. In fact, there are many other diseases that can be spread through sexual contact, including herpes, chlamydia, genital warts, vaginitis, viral hepatitis and HIV (the virus that causes AIDS). Without treatment, these diseases can lead to major health problems such as sterility (not being able to get pregnant), permanent brain damage, heart disease, cancer, and even death. If you think you have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease, you and your sex partner(s) should visit a health clinic or doctor for testing and treatment.

You may have been exposed to an STD and should get tested if you have ever:

• had sex (vaginal, anal or oral) without using a condom with someone who has an STD or HIV, or whose status you do not know

• had sex without using a condom with someone who has ever injected drugs

• had many sex partners

You can lower your risk for becoming infected with a disease spread during sex by:

using a latex male condom or female condom the right way, every time you have sex; • using the female condom which may offer better protection than the male condom against herpes and genital warts because it covers more of a woman's external genitalia and is very resistant to tears; • not using drugs and alcohol; they can get in the way of you protecting yourself; • having only one sex partner, whose status you know; • not having sex with a person who shoots drugs or who ever did.

Most people who have an STD have no symptoms:

Therefore, you can’t tell by looking if a person is infected with a disease that can be passed to you during sex. Protect Yourself!

Gonorrhea:

Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria spread from one infected person to another during sex. It can infect the urethra in a man’s penis, the cervix in a woman’s vagina, and the rectum and throat. In men, the disease may cause burning during urination and discharge (drip) from the penis. Women often have no symptoms at all and may not know they are infected unless the disease is found during an examination. Untreated gonorrhea can cause sterility in both women and men. In women, it can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) - an infection that causes severe lower abdominal pain and fever, and can result in sterility or miscarriage. Infants born to women with gonorrhea can develop severe eye infections and meningitis.

Media Contact:

Allison Grey
Journal Manager
Journal of Infectious Diseases and Diagnosis
Email: jidd@microbialjournals.com