How common are STD's/STI's?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are approximately 19 million new STD infections each year. There are also many cases of STD's gone undiagnosed- and some common viral infections, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and genital herpes, are not reported to the CDC at all- the reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphillis represent only a fraction of the true burden of STD's in the United States.
How are STD's/STI's transmitted?
Route of transmission is spread from person to person through intimate contact. It's not true that you can only get infected by sexual contact. A person can also get infected with herpes or genital warts by skin-to-skin contact with an infected area or sore. Many people don't even know they are infected because there's often no sign that they have one. Therefore, the risk of passing the infection to your sex-partner without even knowing it is very high. HIV is transmitted through certain body fluids - blood, semen, and pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
What are some risk factors associated with STD's/STI's?
Untreated gonorrhea and chlamydia each year causes at least 24,000 women in the U.S. to become infertile. Studies suggest that people with gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis are at increased risk for HIV. Untreated syphilis can lead to serious long-term complications, including brain, cardiovascular, and organ damage. Syphilis in pregnant women can also result in congenital syphilis, which can cause still birth, death soon after birth, and physical deformity and neurological complications in children who survive. HPV infection causes 530,000 cases of cervical cancer and 275,000 cervical cancer deaths each year.
List of possible STD's/STI's:
- Bacterial Vaginosis
- Chlamydia
- Genital Herpes
- Genital Warts (HPV)
- Gonorrhea
- HIV and AIDS
- Hepatitis B (HBV)
- Pubic Lice (Crabs)
- Syphilis
- Chancroid
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
- Scabies
- Trichomoniasis (Trich)
- Intestinal Parasites
- Molluscum Contagiosum
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)