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Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are
infections that can be transferred from one person to another through sexual
contact. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates
there are over 15 million cases of sexually transmitted disease cases
reported annually in the United States.
Most STDs are treatable. However, gonorrhea has become resistant to many of
the older traditional antibiotics. Other STDs, such as herpes, AIDS, and
genital warts, all of which are caused by viruses, have no cure. Some of
these infections are very uncomfortable, while others can be deadly. Many
STDs can lead to related conditions such as
pelvic inflammatory disease,
cervical cancer,
and complications in pregnancy.
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacteria.
men and women between the ages of 15 and 30 having multiple sex partners are
most at risk for this infection. If not treated, males can develop
complications including epididymitis, infertility, Reiter's syndrome, and
proctitis. In females, complications may include infertility, ectopic
pregnancy, conjunctival and pneumonic infection of the newborn. During 2005,
in South Dakota, 991 people between the ages of ten and nineteen were
diagnosed with Chlamydia.
Gonorrhea is an infection that is spread through sexual contact with
another person. The gonorrhea germs are found in the mucous areas of the
body. Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. Most
often, gonorrhea is found in younger people (ages 15-30) who have multiple
sex partners. If a person is not treated for gonorrhea, there is a good
chance complications will occur. Women frequently suffer from pelvic
inflammatory disease (PID), a painful condition that occurs when the
infection spreads throughout the reproductive organs. PID can lead to
sterilization in females. Men may suffer from swelling of the testicles and
penis. Both sexes may suffer from arthritis, skin problems and other organ
infections caused by the spread of gonorrhea within the body. In 2005, 109
people between ten and 19 were diagnosed with Gonorrhea.
Syphilis is a bacterial infection, primarily a sexually transmitted
disease. Any sexually active person can be infected with syphilis,
although there is a greater incidence among young people between the ages of
15 and 30 years. Untreated syphilis can lead to destruction of soft
tissue and bone, heart failure, insanity, blindness and a variety of other
conditions which may be mild to incapacitating. Two people in South Dakota
were diagnosed with Syphilis in 2005. |
