AIDS Part 3 : You Can Stop the Spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Backgrounder

Do you want to have a sexual experience that is wonderful, satisfying and, more importantly, SAFE? Please listen for the next few minutes. We want to share information with you that will make it easier for you to have a healthy and safe sexual relationship!

Have you heard of sexually transmitted diseases? These diseases are passed on from one person to another through sex. They spread easily and can lead to serious illness, even death, if they are not treated. Any person who has sex is at risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease including AIDS.

Three of the most common sexually transmitted diseases are gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis. These are caused by bacteria.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia are spread by sexual contact and have the same early signs. Men with gonorrhea or chlamydia, may have pain or difficulty when urinating. After weeks or months, a man could get painful swelling in his knees, ankles, or wrists. He may also develop a rash or sores over a large area of his body. He could have trouble making a woman pregnant.

Often, there are no early signs of infection in women. A woman who is infected may feel pains in her lower belly. There is also the chance she may not be able to have children.

Gonorrhea may also cause eye infections and blindness in infected newborns. Syphilis is a dangerous disease that is also spread from person to person through sex. The first sign of syphilis is usually a sore, called a chancre. This chancre may look like a pimple, blister, or open sore and usually appears in the genital area. The sore is full of germs which are passed easily from one person to another. It is usually painless and difficult to find if it is inside a woman’s vagina.

The chancre sore lasts only a few days before it disappears. But the disease continues spreading throughout the body. Months later a person could have a sore throat, mild fever, mouth sores or swelling. A person could also have an itchy painful rash or pimples on parts of their body.

A pregnant woman, infected with syphilis, can pass the disease to her unborn child. This child could be born with birth defects. There is also a chance that infant could die before being born.
Without treatment, syphilis can cause heart disease, paralysis, or mental problems.

You can get medicine from your doctor that will cure gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.

Other sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, genital herpes and genital warts, are caused by viruses. Like the common cold, these types of sexually transmitted diseases cannot be cured by medicines.

Genital warts are small, pink, white, or brown skin growths that have a rough surface. A man will find them on his penis, scrotum or anus. In women, the warts grow on the lips of the vagina, inside the vagina or around the anus. With treatment the warts shrink and go away, but will return. The wart virus can also cause changes to a woman’s cervix which can be dangerous if it is not treated. She may have to see a special doctor for treatment. In some cases, women can develop cervical cancer. Infants born to mothers who have this disease could develop genital warts.

Genital herpes is a painful skin infection also spread through sex. Small blisters will appear on a person’s sex organs or on the mouth from oral sex. These blisters burst and form small, open sores which dry up and become scabs. Sores can last for three weeks or more. This virus stays in your body after all the signs disappear and new blisters can appear at any time. The new sores may appear in the same place but are fewer and less painful.

You should try and keep the area clean between the appearance of blisters. Do not have sex, even with a condom if blisters or sores are present. It is still possible to spread herpes when no sores are present.

Newborns may get herpes during birth. Herpes may cause damage to their central nervous system. A pregnant woman may have to have a Cesarean delivery.

AIDS is a disease, mostly spread by sexual contact, which weakens people’s bodies and leaves them unprotected against infection from a number of diseases. A person who has AIDS develops symptoms over time. AIDS affects people in different ways and can only be found by taking a test.

Once infected you can infect others. A mother can pass AIDS on to her unborn child before or during birth.

Recently, doctors have found that you have a greater chance to get AIDS if you are already infected with an sexually transmitted disease. Syphilis and herpes leave sores in the area around your genitals. These sores make it easier for the AIDS virus to get into the body.

You may not know you are infected with a sexually transmitted disease. Often, there are no real signs of infection. It could take weeks, months, or sometimes even years in the case of AIDS, before you find any signs of infection.

If you know or think you have had sex with an infected person go to the doctor for treatment. You could be infected if you have some pain or feel a burning while urinating. You may have a drip or discharge from your penis or vagina. Look out for a rash, blisters, sores or warts on your penis or vagina. If you have frequent pains in your stomach area, go in for a check up. This may also be a sign of infection.

You should remember a few things to protect yourself and your partner from sexually transmitted diseases.

If you know or think you are infected, stop having sex right away. Tell everyone you have had sex with that you have or think you may have a sexually transmitted disease. Advise them to go to the doctor’s for a check up. If you are afraid to tell them by yourself, ask a friend or health worker to come with you. Do not have sex until you have finished your medicine and have made sure you’re healthy. The doctor can tell you when it’s safe to have sex again.

You can stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases by changing your sexual behavior. Find out about your partner’s sexual history and use a condom each time you have sex.