Some of the more outstanding symptoms are blisters that are small and fluid filled around the genital area (vaginal lips, vagina, cervix, head/shaft/foreskin of the penis, scrotum, buttocks, anus or thighs). These small blisters are noted to burst leaving sores that are often quite painful. There is also the itchy feeling around the anal area and in the genital areas. The patient can also have backaches, flu-like conditions, swollen glands or fever as well as headaches. In some instances there can be tingling sensation around the anal area and the genitals even before the outbreak of Herpes, since it can be spread to other people even before the host shows any symptoms.
Upon outbreak, the first bout is the worst and takes 2-3 weeks before the patient is healed properly. The subsequent bouts are milder with fewer sores that heal faster than the first ones and the pain is less as well.
Herpes can be spread through various means like kissing mouth to mouth, engaging in sexual intercourse without protection and even the oral sex encounters. There is no absolute assurance of condoms protecting the potential victim though from infection by the virus since the virus could be on any other parts of the genitals that are not protected by the condom.
The diagnosis for Herpes is carried out at the local clinics through examination of the genitals, a laboratory test of fluid from the sores done within 48 hours of the appearance of the sores. For women, there can be an internal pelvic examination.
The available treatment for Herpes is only targeted at helping the sores dry up faster, reduce the number of outbreaks that one suffers and reduce the possibility of one host transmitting it to another person during and between outbreaks.
Hepatitis B
The third infection caused by virus and I considered and STD is the Hepatitis B which is an infection known as silent infection due to the fact that most of the time it does not have noticeable symptoms on first infection. It is caused by Hepatitis B virus and the symptoms are mild though may include fever, muscle joint, fatigue, loss of appetite, mild nausea accompanied by vomiting. It is estimated that 1% of the infected will develop symptoms that are life threatening known as "fulminant hepatitis" which leads to liver failure. The patient may develop jaundice and bloated stomach as a result (Hepatitis B Foundation, 2011).
The predominant symptoms of Hepatitis B are presence of flu-like symptoms, fatigue and nausea. There are also abdominal pains that the person might experience. The urine and the feces will change to a strange color and the eyes or the skin of the patient will appear to be yellow.
This STI can be spread through coming into contact with blood or body fluids like semen, vaginal fluids and saliva. Incase these fluids get a broken part of the skin, then the person is prone to getting infection. The infection can also be through mucous membrane like the eyes, vagina, mouth and the anus.
The sharing of personal effects like razors, toothbrush, nail files that are prone to containing even a small amount of blood is also a recipe for getting infections. It is estimated that the virus can live in dry blood to duration of seven days within which if they find passage to the human body the infection can still take place. Other means of infection are like tattooing, body piercing, and needles and mostly in a situation where these effects are not properly sterilized (Region of Peel, 2011).
The new born babies can also get infected by their mothers hence it is very significant that all pregnant mothers are screened for this infection so that the appropriate steps are taken to protect the babies from infections.
The testing is done at the local clinics through a specific test that is carried out to determine of there are Hepatitis B virus in the fluids taken for test.
There is no known cure for Hepatitis B though the victims usually get better and get protected from any future infections through their own immunity and hence they will not pass the infection to the other partners. Upon testing positive of Hepatitis B, one will be advised on the diet to adhere to and to stop some habits like smoking and drinking. Some carriers will require continued medical treatment. In extreme cases, the carriers can develop cancer of the liver otherwise known as cirrhosis.
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One should also use condom while having sex, never share sharps and personal effects as noted above and proper disposal of blood stained articles like dental floss, bandages and tampons.
Syphilis
This is another very sensitive STD that has been in the medical fraternity and the eradiation has proved elusive from time immemorial. This is a bacterial STD caused by Treponema palladium (AVERT, 2011).
The symptoms of syphilis are the same in both men and women. These symptoms can be very mild hence hard to make them out form other forms of STDs. The symptoms associated with STDs can take up to three months to be visible after the day of infection. This STD is a slow and progressive disease with various stages of development with the peimary and secondary stages being very infectious.
The Primary stage is characterized by one or more painless ulcers that will appear at the point where the bacteria entered the body. With will be approximately 21 days after the sexual contact with an infected person. These ulcers may be very difficult to notice and yet they are highly infectious. The most common location of these ulcers are on the vulva or on the cervix in women, for men it is common on the penis and could be around the anus and the mouth an instance that can be for both sexes. If not treated, these ulcers can go for a period of two to six weeks before they heal on their own.
If not discovered and treated at stage one, then the infection will progress to stage two or the secondary stage. This is a stage that sets in three to six weeks after the appearance of the ulcers. The most characterizing symptoms at this stage are flu-like illness, loss of appetite, feeling of tiredness as well as swollen glands that can last for weeks or months. There will also appear a not itchy rash that will cover the whole body or will appear in patches on various parts of the body. For women, there will be some flat, wart-like growths that will be noticed on the vulva and around the anus for both sexes. There will be white patches on the roof of the mouth and on the tongue and the person will also experience patchy hair loss.
This is the stage where syphilis is most infectious and can easily be transmitted to a partner if there is sexual contact. These symptoms will however not last as those of primary stage and will clear off within a few weeks but if the disease is not treated, it may recur for years. It is worth noting that treatment at any of these initial two stages will easily clear off the infection.
If the infection is not treated, it will progress to the latent stage where the patient will not experience any symptoms anymore as it was in the earlier two stages but their infections can still be detected through blood tests.
When the disease is not detected at the latent stage and handled, it will then progress to tertiary stage which is also referred to as the symptomatic late syphilis. This can develop after a long period of time, as long as ten years down the line and often comes now with very serious symptoms that may be hard to control. At this stage, syphilis can affect the heart and even in some instances the nervous system. Even at this stage, the treatment administered can still be effective, however the damages it shall have caused to the nervous system could be irreversible.
Syphilis can be transmitted through coming into contact with syphilis sores while having vaginal, oral or anal sex with an infected person. Syphilis can also be passed from the mother to the unborn baby, but cannot be transmitted through sharing toilets, bath, towels or eating utensils.
Syphilis can be treated in most of the public health care facilities where the samples from the sores, blood samples are taken to the lab and the physical examination of the genital areas can be done as well as internal examination for women.
Typically, syphilis is treated through administration of two-week course of intramuscular penicillin injections or even antibiotic capsules or tablets are given. Prevention is not 100% assured through the use of condoms but can help and regular medical checkup is recommended for persons who engage in multiple sex encounters.
References
AVERT, (2011).…
