Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases (stds) may present themselves after someone contracts either a bacterial or viral sexually transmitted infection (STI). STIs are spread predominantly through sexual contact: Oral, anal, or vaginal. Common STDs include gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, genital warts, hepatitis B and C, as well as human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV).

STDs can be found throughout the world, although there are spatial differences in the overall distribution of these diseases. While some of these diseases can be treated with antibiotics if they are diagnosed early (such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia), others are chronic illnesses that may only be managed through an ongoing regimen of medications, diet, and exercise (such as hepatitis B, HIV, and HPV). There are now vaccines that may stop the spread of some of these infections (hepatitis B and HPV), but many others must be prevented through minimizing the risks associated with their spread, including unprotected anal, oral, or vaginal sex. Prevention varies depending on the type of in-fection: [Page 1595]Some, such as gonorrhea, are easily spread through oral sex, while others, such as HIV, are much less likely to be spread orally. In some cases, these illnesses have been spread through blood transfusions, or through injection drug users sharing unclean needles. Many blood supplies in wealthier countries are now tested for these infections before they are used.

While the connection to environmental conditions may not seem directly obvious, there are not only biophysical issues (the transfer of STIs through the exchange of bodily fluids) involved in the spread of these diseases. The immune system's ability to ward off infections is compromised in conditions of high endemic malnutrition, poverty, and pollution. A compromised immune system might lead to a much quicker death for someone who is exposed to other infections that are not sexually transmitted, such as malaria, tuberculosis, or cholera. In many parts of the world, those infected with STDs may die not from the STD itself but from another illness, the result of an attack on the compromised immune system.

Moreover, the use of nonbiomedical, or nonallopathic approaches, such as homeopathic remedies, including herbal medicines, are more common to ward off the symptoms of some of these diseases in areas where regular biomedical care is unavailable or too expensive (for example, in HIV, hepatitis B or C treatment). This means that access to community property or forest resources might be an essential component of the regular treatment regimen of many people living with the symptoms associated with HIV disease, HPV, or hepatitis. If managed, many people can live healthy lives despite the presence of some STDs.

There are also political and social conditions that place people at risk for contracting STIs, particularly in areas of war and violence where rape is common or in places of intense poverty, which forces individuals into certain high risk industries, such as commercial sex work. Some of these diseases, therefore, are more prevalent in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, various parts of Asia (such as India, China, and Southeast Asia), as well as in parts of Russia and eastern Europe.

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