After I switched my career, I have more chance to read news paper and watched news. All my years I’ve been mindless of the reality that’s happening around me. All I cared about is my own survival. Back few days ago, I learned that there are increasing numbers of STD’s affecting Filipinos nowadays. This is alarming, thus this calls for information dissemination.

STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact including vaginal intercourse, oral sex and anal sex (Wikipedia).

Bacterial STDs include Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Nongonococcal urethritis and chlamydial cervicitis, lymphogranuloma venereum, chancroid, granuloma inguinale and tricomoniasis.

Viral STDs include genital warts, genital herpes, moluscum contagiosum and HIV or AIDS.

Although STDs usually result from having vaginal, oral or anal sex with an infected partner, genital penetration is not necessary to spread an infection. Some disease may also be transmitted by kissing or by close body contact

Genital Warts (condylomata acuminata) are growths in or around the vagina, penis or rectum caused by sexually transmitted papillomavirus. Genital warts are caused by a certain type papillomavirus, other of which causes the common warts that appear around the body. Genitontal warts occur most often on warm moist surfaces. In men, the usual areas are on the penis, especially below the foreskin. In women, genital warts occur on the vulva wall, cervix and skin surrounding the vaginal area. It can also develop around the anus and in the rectum, especially to people engaged in anal sex. The warts usually appear 1 to 6 months after infection with papillomavirus, beginning as tiny, soft, moist, pink or red swellings. They grow rapidly and appear as rough surfaces giving the appearance of a small cauliflower. Genital warts can be diagnosed by the appearance. Unusual-looking or persistant warts can be removed surgically and examined through microscope to make sure that it is not cancerous. Regular Papaniculaou (pap) Test to detect the early stages of cancer is very important for women who have warts on the cervix.

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) infection produces recurring episodes of small, painful fluid-filled blisters on the skin or mucous membranes. There are two types of herpes simplex virus: HSV-1 and HSV-2. The HSV-1 is the usual case of cold sores on the lips (herpes labialis) and sores on the cornea of the eye (herpes simplex keratitis) HSV-2 cause’s genital herpes. HSV infections produce an eruption of tiny blisters on the skin or mucous membranes. After eruption of blisters subsides, the virus remains in the dormant (latent) state inside the group of nerve cells (ganglia) that supply the nerve fibers to the infected area. Periodically the virus begins growing again and travels through the nerve fibers back to the skin-causing eruptions of the blisters in the same area of the skin as the earlier infection.

The first oral infection with HSV usually causes sores inside the mouth (herpetic gingivostomatitis).In addition; the person generally feels sick and has fever, headache and body aches. The mouth sores last 10 to 14 days and are very severe, making eating and drinking extremely uncomfortable. In some first oral infections, swollen gums are the only symptoms; occasionally, no symptoms develop. Herpetic gingivostomatitis most commonly develop in children.

The first genital HSV infection can be severe and prolonged, with multiple painful blisters in the genital area. Fever and a general feeling of illness (malaise) are common and some people have burning urination. Occasionally, an infected person may have no symptoms. A recurring attack of genital herpes begins with no symptoms (including local tingling), discomfort, itching, or aching in the groin) that precedes the blisters to several hours to 2 to 3 days. Painful blisters surrounded by a reddish rim appear on the skin or mucous membranes of the genitals. The blisters quickly break open, leaving sores. Blisters may appear on the thighs, buttocks or around the anus. In women, genital blisters may be develop on the vulva, in which case they are usually obvious and very painful. Internal blisters may be developed in the vagina or in the cervix.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an infection by one or two viruses, HIV-1 and HIV-2. The HIV viruses progressively destroy some types of white blood cells called lympohcytes; Lyphocytes are an important part of the body’s immune defenses. When the lymphocytes are destroyed, the body becomes susceptible to attack of many other infectious organisms. Many of the complications of the HIV infection including death are usually the result of these other infections and not the HIV infection itself.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the most severe form of HIV infection. A person with HIV infection is considered to have AIDS when at least one complicating illness develops or his ability to defend against infection.

The transmission of HIV requires contact with the body fluid that contains the virus or infected cells. HIV can appear in nearly any body fluid, but transmission mainly comes from blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk. Although low concentration of HIV is also present in tears, urine and saliva, transmission from these fluids is extremely rare.

HIV is transmitted through the following ways:

Sexual contact with an infected person

Injection or infusion of contaminated blood as occurs with blood transfusions, the sharing of needles or an accidental prick from an HIV contaminated needle

Transfer of virus from an infected mother to a child before birth.