Sexually Transmitted Diseases - The Great Imitator, Effective Treatment Developed, Continuing Challenge, From Chlamydia To Aids, Viruses More Difficult To Treat
range stds untreated life
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are diseases that are contracted through sexual contact. STDs are caused by a wide range of organisms including viruses, bacteria, chlamydiae, mycoplasma, fungi, protozoa, and arthropods. STDs remain epidemic in all societies and the range of known STD causng pathogens continues to increase.
Long known as venereal disease, after Venus, the Roman goddess of love, sexually transmitted diseases are increasingly common. The more than 20 known sexually transmitted diseases range from old to new, from the life-threatening to painful and unsightly. The life-threatening sexually transmitted diseases are syphilis, which has been known for centuries, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which was first identified in 1981.
Most sexually transmitted diseases can be treated successfully, although untreated sexually transmitted diseases remain a huge public health problem. Untreated
The progression of a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Illustration by Hans & Cassidy. Courtesy of Gale Group.
sexually transmitted diseases can cause everything from blindness to infertility. While AIDS is the most widely publicized sexually transmitted disease, others are more common. More than 13 million Americans of all backgrounds and economic levels develop sexually transmitted diseases every year. Prevention efforts focus on teaching the physical signs of sexually transmitted diseases, instructing individuals on how to avoid exposure, and emphasizing the need for regular check-ups.
Additional Topics
The history of sexually transmitted disease is controversial. Some historians believe that syphilis emerged as a new disease in the fifteenth century. Others cite ancient texts as proof that syphilis and perhaps gonorrhea were ancient as well as contemporary burdens. The dispute can best be understood with some knowledge of the elusive nature of gonorrhea and syphilis, called "the great imi…
Further advances occurred quickly. August von Wassermann (1866–1925) developed a blood test for syphilis in 1906, making testing for syphilis a simple procedure for the first time. Just four years later in 1910, the first effective therapy for syphilis was introduced in the form of Salvarsan, an organic arsenical compound. The compound was one of many effective compounds introduced by the G…
Venereal disease was not eliminated, and sexually transmitted diseases continue to ravage Americans and others in the 1990s. Though penicillin has lived up to its early promise as an effective treatment for syphilis, the number of cases of syphilis has increased since 1956. In addition, millions of Americans suffer from other sexually transmitted diseases, many of which were not known a century or…
All sexually transmitted diseases have certain elements in common. They are most prevalent among teenagers and young adults, with nearly 66% occurring in people under 25. In addition, most can be transmitted in ways other than through sexual relations. For example, AIDS and Hepatitis B can be transmitted through contact with tainted blood, but they are primarily transmitted sexually. In general, s…
There are no cures for the sexually transmitted diseases caused by viruses: AIDS, genital herpes, viral hepatitis, and genital warts. Treatment is available for most of these diseases, but the virus cannot be eliminated from the body. AIDS is the most life-threatening sexually transmitted disease, a disease which is usually fatal and for which there is no cure. The disease is caused by the human i…
A worldwide research effort to develop a vaccine against AIDS has resulted in a series of vaccinations and clinical trials. Efforts have focused in two areas, finding a vaccine to protect individuals against the HIV virus and finding a vaccine to prevent the progression of HIV to AIDS in individuals who already have been exposed to the virus. One of many challenges facing researchers has been the …
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about 1 year ago
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