STIs are prevailing day by day. The fact that these are contagious through sexual contact is problematic. It means that a person can transmit the disease to another person through sex. An infection is treatable through medications. But, AIDS is a whole other discussion.
What is an STI?
STI or sexually transmitted infection is the infection that occurs by sexual contact. It can affect both genders. Moreover, it can affect any part of your reproductive organ.
In women, STIs can infect the vulva, vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterine lining, etc.
These infections can affect the penis, scrotum, testes, and skin in men.
Causes
Three primary pathogens cause STIs in humans,
- Bacterial
- Viral
- protozoan
Bacterias infections include syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia. The viral diseases are herpes and AIDS, whereas protozoal infection is trichomoniasis.
Symptoms
STIs present with abdominal pain, fever, and discharge. The skin may show lesions, and pus might come out of it. The patient is in extreme discomfort and needs immediate treatment.
How to treat an STI?
Treatment and management of an STI depend on the causative agent of the STI. Therefore, the aim is to identify the agent through an STI check. Then, treat accordingly.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are medicines to treat bacterial infections. We give antibiotics for all types of bacterial infections. These medicines work in many ways. All of them involve disturbing the structure and function of bacteria. In this way, they stop or kill the bacteria. Therefore, they also control the disease.
Antiviral
Viral infections have their course. Viruses like herpes are known to cause STDs. They present as lesions on the vulva or scrotum. In addition to this, herpes may also present itself around the mouth. Antivirals like acyclovir, ganciclovir, and valacyclovir are the most typical treatments for viral herpes.
Antiprotozoal drugs
Protozoans are parasites. They live in your body and damage it as a result. Trichomonas vaginalis is another parasite that can cause severe vaginal infection. There is itching, pain, and greenish vaginal discharge. Antiprotozoal drugs treat the disease by killing the protozoa.
HAART Therapy
Highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART is a combination of drugs to treat AIDS. AIDS is incurable, yet we can control the symptoms and prolong our lifespan through this therapy. In addition, this therapy can increase your WBCs and enable you to fight against infections.
STIs: Why are they so dangerous?
Usually, any infection is painful. But, STIs top other diseases. Why?
There are two main reasons,
- Sexual contact has a role in the transmission of STDs.
- Some STIs like AIDS has no cure.
Due to these two reasons, the doctors emphasize protected sexual intercourse. Protection can limit your sexual contact, saving you from STIs.
Furthermore, an STI check can diagnose your disease earlier. These infections are excruciating. Therefore, you must take all the precautions before having sexual intercourse.
Lately, the hook-up culture has contributed a lot to STIs. People have intercourse without knowing anything about the other person. This practice must stop if we want to prevent STDs from spreading.