Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infectious diseases that are spread though sexual activity, such as vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, and oral-genital or oral-anal contact. Sexually transmitted diseases have also been called venereal diseases, a name derived from Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. The most common STDs are chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital warts, and genital herpes . Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, can also be classified as an STD.
WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO THE SPREAD OF STDS?
In the United States today, more than 65 million people are infected with some type of incurable STD (about 75% of these cases are genital herpes versus 1.4% for HIV), and it is estimated that there are 15 million new STD cases each year. Most adults in the United States contract at least one STD before the age of 35.
Just prior to World War II (1939–1945), there was a dramatic increase in the incidence of STDs, particularly syphilis and gonorrhea. In the 1940s, a public health campaign was launched to warn soldiers of the dangers of casual sex. Fortunately, the discovery of antibiotics such as penicillin and streptomycin
allowed for effective treatment of these bacterial diseases, and until the 1970s, many physicians believed that STDs would soon be eliminated through the use of antibiotics. Not only did STDs fail to disappear, but the problem has actually worsened. Several factors have contributed to the rise of STDs since the 1970s: the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, the widespread use of oral contraceptives, and the emergence of new pathogens.
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
The discovery of penicillin was a major step forward in controlling gonorrhea, one of the first identified STDs. Incidence of gonorrhea had soared during the 1940s, but the previously untreatable illness was now easily cured with a simple injection of penicillin. Over time, however, the microorganism that causes gonorrhea, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, has developed resistance to this powerful antibiotic. Bacteria develop antibiotic resistance through chromosomal mutations or by acquiring an extra piece of genetic material called a plasmid, which is a common event for bacteria. Plasmids that convey resistance to penicillin generally encode a gene for beta-lactamase, an enzyme that destroys penicillin. Although other drugs are currently available to treat gonorrhea, they are much more expensive than penicillin, and this has caused a major problem for publicly
funded health clinics. In addition, it is not known how long these drugs will remain effective, since drug-resistant strains continue to emerge.
Despite concerns over antibiotic resistance, it remains relatively easy to treat STDs caused by bacterial infections, especially the more prevalent diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. Viral infections, on the other hand, are not treatable with antibiotics, and effective medications for genital herpes, human papillomavirus, and HIV remain to be discovered.
Source: Herpes (Deadly Diseases and Epidemics)
0 comments:
Post a Comment