Although protection and prevention methods have been around for decades, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) still affect many young people and adults today. Sexually transmitted diseases are infections that occur all over the world, without exception. More than 400 million treatable STD cases occur every year in the world. HIV/AIDS and other STDs are most detected in the 15-35 age group, where sexual activity is intense. In addition to being an important health problem, especially for developing countries, they also cause social, cultural and economic problems. Although the main way of transmission of STDs is unprotected sexual intercourse, this is not the only way of transmission. Contaminated blood, blood products and organ transfers, injury and direct contact with sharp objects contaminated with patient blood can be considered as other transmission routes for some of these diseases. STDs can also be transmitted from mother to baby before, during and after birth. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, approximately 42 million people have been infected with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the AIDS virus, to date. According to the same data, 3 million people die every year due to AIDS and 5 million new HIV infection cases occur every year.
According to World Health Organization data, approximately 340 million new non-HIV STDs occur every year. case occurs. Among these cases, trichomonas comes first. Trichomonas, caused by a microorganism called Trichomonas vaginalis, causes vaginitis in women, accompanied by foul-smelling, green-yellow vaginal discharge and itching. Although it often causes no symptoms in men, it can rarely cause urinary tract infection. Spouse and partner treatment should be done together.
The most common STD is Tertiary infections include chlamydial infections. Chlamydia infection most commonly settles in the cervix in women and moves upwards, causing widespread infection in the uterus, tubes and ovaries, which can cause infertility due to tube obstruction. It can also cause eye infections as a result of direct contact, and lung pneumonia in people with low body resistance. The disease often progresses without symptoms in women and is discovered incidentally during gynecological examinations.
Gonorrhea (Gonorrhea) is a disease that may initially be asymptomatic in women, but causes painful discharge from the penis in men. It is easy to diagnose gonorrhea in men due to painful discharge from the penis. . Gonorrhea infection does not cause any symptoms in 80-85% of women. Sometimes, during gynecological examination, a red area in the cervix that can bleed quickly and inflamed discharge from the cervical canal can be observed. Gonorrhea progresses upwards from the cervical canal along with chlamydia and causes widespread infection, persistent groin pain caused by adhesions in the abdomen. It can cause symptoms such as bloating, gas, and infertility by causing blockage in the tubes. Antibiotic treatment is applied together with the spouse and partner in chlamydial and gonorrhea infections.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that can threaten the lives of men and women and unfortunately has not been eradicated in our country. After being infected through sexual intercourse, symptoms of the disease appear on average between 3-4 weeks. The first symptom is ulcers in the genital area in men and women and painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the groin area.
One in 3 people in Turkey He encountered the Hepatitis B (Infectious jaundice) virus. It is thought that 4-10% are carriers of the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B virus It is found in the blood of sick people, body fluids such as sexual fluid, saliva, sweat, tears, and breast milk. It can lead to liver cirrhosis and cancer. The most effective way to protect against the hepatitis B virus is to get vaccinated before encountering the infection.
Genital herpes is another STD that occurs with many shallow, painful cold sores and ulcers on the external genital organs. Drug therapy is used in the treatment, but there is a risk of recurrence throughout life.
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common cause of sexually transmitted infection in the world. There are more than 130 known types of HPV. Some types of HPV cause genital warts, and some types can cause cervical cancer in women. Current vaccines developed against HPV provide protection against some of these types. For this reason, these vaccines are recommended for girls and boys between the ages of 9-14. Since HPV infection can be transmitted by friction between two skin types, it can also be observed in virgins without full sexual intercourse. Since the HPV virus can also be transmitted by rubbing the testicle skin, condoms; It does not fully protect against genital warts and other carcinogenic HPV types.
Although the general method of protection against STDs is the use of condoms, general hygiene is important since some STDs can also be transmitted by contact. Paying attention to the rules, monogamy and regular gynecological examination are also important.
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