Sexually Transmitted Diseases

8 Pages 1909 Words

STDs are spread while having sex , but other forms of sexual contact, such as oral sex, can also spread disease. Some STDs are passed from a mother to her child before birth, when the disease enters the baby's bloodstream, during childbirth as the baby passes through the birth canal, or after birth, when the baby drinks infected breast milk. Some viral STDs, especially AIDS, may be transmitted by blood contact such as open wounds, between people who share infected needles or received through a transfusion of infected blood. Some people mistakenly believe that STDs can be transmitted through shaking hands or other casual contact, or through contact with inanimate objects such as clothing or toilet seats. Such transmissions are extremely rare meaning that it is highly unlikely. Chlamydia, caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium, is the most commonly transmitted STD in the United States. About 500,000 chlamydia infections are reported each year. But because chlamydia may not produce noticeable symptoms, it often goes undiagnosed, and it is estimated that the true number of people infected with chlamydia is nearly ten times the number of reported cases. People who do not know they are infected may not seek medical attention and may continue to have sex, unknowingly they're spreading the disease. When symptoms do develop, men may experience painful or burning urination or a discharge from the penis. Women may experience burning urination, vaginal secretion, or mild lower abdominal pain. If left untreated, chlamydia damages reproductive tissue, causing inflammation of the urethra in men and possibly (PID) in women. PID...