Exploring the Dangers of Common STIs

Are you having unprotected sex? Then you might want to know some of the most dangerous sexually transmitted infections there are. We have graded them on the basis of transmittabilty, the extent to which they cause damage, and their treatment.

Genital herpes tops the list because it is one of the easiest sexually transmitted diseases and never really goes away. Burna Boy, an afrobeat singer, comically references its chronic nature in a song, with a line that reads: “I stick around like herpes.”

Herpes does stick around for a long time. It is caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV).

This virus usually infects the mucosa of the mouth or the genitalia.

Transmission is easy. Symptoms can show up as early as two to three days after one has gotten the disease. Genital herpes is caused commonly by HSV-2, and oral herpes is caused by HSV-1. However, HSV-1 can infect the genitals just as HSV-2 can infect the mouth.

Initial symptoms of herpes resemble a flu-like illness. One may confuse this for a cold. Those initial symptoms are usually the worst, climaxing in an outbreak. Some kind of rash that spreads over the genitals. The rash may be painful or itchy and may release a clear fluid when broken. Around the end of an outbreak, the rash crusts over and heals with or without a scar.

Subsequent outbreaks are usually much worse than the first and often last shorter. People who have herpes are usuallymost infectious during outbreaks.

The virus is spread by contact with fluids or with the rash itself. So, one may prevent transmission by having protected sex with their partner when there is no outbreak.

HIV is a synonym for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The virus gets its name from its ability to suppress one’s immune system. It infects the CD4 cells, which are a kind of white blood cell that helps the body tell when something is swarming in the blood that shouldn’t be there.

When these cells are suppressed, the body becomes very susceptible to all kinds of infections. There are two kinds of HIV: there is HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-2 is commonly seen in West Africa and seems to cause a comparably mild form of the disease when put side by side with HIV-1.

HIV, thankfully, is not so easy to transmit. Especially when one decides to use a condom. Without a condom, the transmission rates are higher in people who have anal sex. Particularly people who receive a penis during anal penetration.

This may be due to the nature of the rectum. I will save those details for WebMD.

HIV can be transmitted by abstinence, barrier methods like condoms, or prophylaxis. Pre-exposure prophylactic meditation against HIV has been seen to be very helpful. They are able to prevent the transmission of the disease up to 95 percent if taken properly before sexual intercourse.

Post exposure prophylactic medications can also be very helpful for people who have sex with an unsafe partner and need to be protected after the sex has happened. We will talk about prophylactic medications for HIV soon.

Please note that the transmittabilty of HIV can be influenced by the presence of another STI. For example, HIV would usually be more easy to transmit if the person who is suffering from HIV has gonorrhea too—or if the receiver has got HIV or Herpes.

Syphilis is also such an important STI and is typically one of the most dangerous. Even though it is not so common in many demographics anymore, syphilis used to be one of the most deadly diseases out there.

It is caused by a bacteria called Treponema pallidum. It is transmitted during unprotected sex. When there is contact between the skin. It is very transmittable.

Syphilis usually follows a course of three to four stages.

The earliest stage produces a painless sore on the penis, vagina, or rectum. The sore is usually defined and has a clean base. In this sore, the bacteria continue to replicate. If this sore comes in contact with a noninfected area of another person’s genitals, transmission of syphilis can also happen.

At the tail end of the disease’s course, one can see complications such as mental issues and nerve problems.

Thankfully, since syphilis is caused by a bacteria and not a virus, it can be cured. The course of treatment often involves taking antibiotics for quite some time. Diagnosis can be made at home with a rapid test kit. Abbott has one that can test for antibodies to HIV and syphilis.

The treatment duration and cost of syphilis will often depend on the state in which it was discovered.

This one is also called The Clap.

Gonorrhea is caused by a bacteria called Neisseria Gonorrohoeae. It colonizes mucous membranes and begins to produce harsh symptoms.

There can be gonorrhea in the eyes, genitals, and throat. The most common, however, are gonorrhea of the genitals and gonorrhea of the throat.

Gonorrhea symptoms usually show up a few days to weeks after infection. Or after sex with someone who has been infected. In men, the symptoms are a lot more apparent. The man is expected to notice changes in how often he goes to take a piss. He may pee a lot more. And there may be pain when he urinates.

This feeling is due to irritation of the urethra by the bacteria. There may be a discharge of pus. And sometimes, one may even notice lymph swelling.

A complication of gonorrhea is urethral scarring in men.

In women, the disease may not be very apparent. However, one may be able to transmit it even when there are no obvioussymptoms. This makes the spread of the disease even easier. However, when women do have symptoms, one expects to see a discharge.

Rarely, gonorrhea may ascend up a woman’s genital tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This is often a very serious condition that can end in infertility. In pelvic inflammatory disease, one expects to see symptoms like: cervical motion tenderness, pain, and sometimes a mild fever.

Gonorrhea, in men and women, is often treated using antibiotics like azithromycin. If you suffer from gonorrhea, talk to your doctor about it. The treatment can be a one-time dose. Or it can be a regiment that takes a lot of days to weeks to complete.

Why is hepatitis so dangerous? Well, because of how easy it is to transmit. Even though hepatitis is a sexually transmitted disease, it is not only transmitted by sex. It can be transmitted through food as well. It can also be transmitted from blood transfusion and from mother to child (vertical transmission)

Hepatitis is caused by the Hepatitis virus.

There are five main types of hepatitis viruses. These are the types A, B, C, D, and E.

Even though the viruses may infect differently and produce different symptoms along different timelines, ultimately, thereis an inflammation of the liver. This is where the name hepatitis comes from. Hepatitis suggests an inflammation that takes place in the liver.

Some of the hepatitis viruses produce a very acute illness. This is to say, a very severe illness that doesn’t last very long.Others may produce a chronic illness that lasts up to four months. Some of the viruses are also carcinogenic. That is to say, they can predispose one to liver cancers.

A lot of people who have hepatitis will someday come down with liver cancer. This is why the disease is such a terrible one.

Luckily, there are vaccines that can help to curb the spread of disease. Using a condom can also keep one from coming down with hepatitis.

Even though chlamydia and gonorrhea are very similar illnesses and can sometimes be seen together, as during coinfection, they are not one and the same disease, and they are treated differently sometimes.

The rates of transmission of chlamydia are very similar to the rates of transmission of gono. One is at a high risk of getting the disease when one has sex with an infected partner without a condom. The risk is even more pronounced when one has sex with this partner during an active discharge of pus or vaginal secretions.

The symptoms of chlamydia often include pain and itchiness or burning during urination and an increase in the number of times a person has to pee. This is called frequency. During a typical Chlamydia infection, a man is going to feel enough pain to make him grunt when he is peeing.

A woman may experience a discharge that may or may not smell.

In the end, chlamydia can cause fertility problems for both men and women. Women can experience upper genital tract symptoms, as seen in PID, and eventually scaring off the fallopian tubes.

Men may experience an inflammation of the covering of the testis. One may also see scarring of the urethras.

Having sex with a condom reduces the risk of coming down with gono somewhere around 99 percent if you use a condom right all the time.

This is a very wild sexually transmitted disease, especially in women. It is called HPV. Human papillomavirus causes warts on the skin and mucous membranes. A Lot of people who have the virus will not show any symptoms. But the ones who do may have warts. These warts may look like cauliflowers. They are raised bumps of skin.

The warts may itch or may show no sensation. But the one thing is this: they don’t look good. And the sufferer is likely to hate them so much.

Patrice, a man in his early twenties who suffers from HPV, says: “I do not like these warts at all. They’re ugly and make me feel bad about myself. And I mean, really bad.”

The warts may disappear for some time, only to resurface again later.

But warts are not the only reason why HPV is such a dangerous STI. HPV is the leading cause of genital cancer in women. It causes cervical cancer, and this is why women are advised to visit the doctor if they have more than one sexual partner at a time.

Condoms may show some protection against HPV, but they don’t always prevent them.

Though this is not very common anymore, it used to be. And it used to be very uncomfortable. Everyone knows what louse is. They stay in the hair and cause some itching.

Pubic lice can be transmitted when you have sex with someone who has them. They may also be difficult to treat: the symptoms are much worse in women.

This is one STI women should not have. It is quite bad in men. But in women, it produces a particularly uncomfortable symptom. This is a foul-smelling vaginal discharge. Women don’t want to feel this.

Lovina tells us: “I hate it so much when there is a vaginal discharge that smells. I think that is the number one thing every woman hates so much.”

It may be true. It most likely is.

Even though the symptoms are alike, Trichomoniasis is not the same as gonorrhea or chlamydia. The organism that causes Trichomoniasis is different, and the approach to treatment is different as well.

This is not a very common STI. But it is one very uncomfortable disease for anyone to have. It is caused by chlamydia. Only a few variants of the bacteria are able to cause this disease. In LGV, the chlamydia bacteria infects the lymphatic system. It may cause ulceration of the lymph nodes. And they may release fluid.

LGV significantly increases the risk of one coming down with HIV. It can be treated with antibiotics.

STIs are very dangerous, and so one must be sure to practice safe sex. Use a condom or stick to one partner.

Ubong Johnson is a medic, writer, and editor whose writings explore the complexities of human interactions. He has been published on The Healing Muse, a journal by Upstate Medical University, Blood and Thunder, a journal from Oklahoma University Medical College, and other journals of humanities. Ubong lives in Lagos and is currently undergoing training as a behavioral psychologist.