• Include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes, genital warts (HPV), hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and more than 25 other diseases
• Are the most commonly reported infectious diseases in North Dakota and the United States
• Are one of the leading causes of infertility
• Have an annual cost of more than $10 billion dollars in the United States

Is there a cure for STDs?

STDs caused by viruses cannot be cured. These diseases include genital warts, genital herpes, hepatitis B and HIV. Treatment may help with symptoms.

STDs caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics. These include syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The earlier these diseases are diagnosed, the easier they are to treat.

How are STDs spread?

People become infected with STDs when they have sexual contact with an infected person. Any type of sexual contact poses some risk, including genital to genital, oral to genital, anal to genital and oral to anal contact.

What are the symptoms of STDs?

Symptoms vary depending on the disease. In general, symptoms of STDs may include:

• Sores or lesions in the genital or anal area
• Painful urination
• Discharge from the penis
• Discharge from the vagina
• Bleeding between menstrual periods
• Heavier than usual menstrual periods
• Abdominal or pelvic pain in females
• Rashes on the body (especially the palms of the hands or soles of the feet)
• Painful sex

Many people, especially women, may not have symptoms.

What about HIV and STDs?

If you have an STD, you are more likely to become infected with HIV if you are exposed. If infected with HIV and another STD, you are more likely to pass HIV to your sexual partner.

Am I at risk of getting an STD?

You may be at risk of getting an STD if:

• You have multiple sex partners
• You have a new sex partner
• Your sex partner now has or has previously had other sex partners
• You have any of the symptoms described in this brochure If you have an STD, you can infect your sex partner, even if you do not have symptoms or know that you have the disease

What are some of the complications of STDs?

STDs in women can lead to a variety of complications. Both chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Women who have had PID may not be able get pregnant or have children. Women infected with a variety of STDs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, and syphilis can pass these infections onto their babies. All of the infections can be given to the baby when the baby passes through the birth canal of an infected mom. Syphilis can also be passed to the baby while the baby is in the womb.

Babies infected with STDs are at risk for a variety of health problems. Babies infected with syphilis while still in the womb may die, have deformed bones, brain damage and other problems. Babies infected with herpes at birth may develop encephalitis, a swelling in the brain, that may cause permanent brain damage or death. Babies infected with hepatitis B will likely have hepatitis the rest of their lives and may develop liver failure and die. Babies infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea usually have eye infections. Babies can also develop pneumonia from chlamydia.

Complications in men can also occur. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause epididymitis which is an infection of a structure attached to the testicles. This infection can lead to infertility on rare occasions.

In all people, syphilis can cause brain damage, skin and bone damage and heart problems. Gonorrhea can cause arthritis, blood infections and heart problems. Hepatitis B can cause liver failure and is associated with liver cancer.

What can I do to protect myself?

• Do not have sex. This is 100 percent effective in preventing STDs.
• Limit your number of sex partners. Having one uninfected sex partner who is having sex only with you is very effective in preventing STDs.
• Use a latex condom every time you have sexual intercourse. Latex condoms, when used correctly, are an effective barrier against the germs that cause STDs.
• If you think you have an STD, stop having sex. Make an appointment to see your health care provider. Tell your sex partner to do the same. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to prevent complications, especially in females. If you do not have a health care provider, call your local public health department

If you feel lonely because you suffer from STDs, don’t suffer anymore. Join the excellent STD dating club and find love and happiness again.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is used to describe more than 100 different types of related viruses. HPV can be transmitted through contact with skin surfaces or genital fluids infected with the virus. Genital HPV infection is usually, though not always, sexually transmitted. While many other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been associated with increased risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV, this association has not been observed for HPV. However, persons with HIV/AIDS seem to be at increased risk for HPV infection and associated sequelae of HPV infections such as genital warts and dysplasia.

Cervical and anal/genital cancers, precancerous cervical tissue abnormalities, genital warts and wart-like lesions, and cervical cell dysplasia have been associated with infection with specific HPV types. Cervical cancer is the leading cancer among women in Africa.  The report of a workshop sponsored by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the evidence of the effectiveness of condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) concludes that co-infection with HPV and HIV may lead to increased risk of cervical neoplasia and anal cancers among persons infected with HIV, as HIV suppresses the body’s immune system.

There is little known about the prevalence of HPV in sub-Saharan Africa. Few studies on the prevalence of any STI, let alone HPV, have been conducted in the region. Of the available recent published reports, HPV research often covers specific populations in geographically specific areas of a country. For example, a 2001 study of HPV genotypes among 262 women in a rural area of Mozambique found that 40 percent of women in the study tested positive for at least one type of HPV. A 2003 study of 429 female family planning clinic attendees in urban Nairobi, Kenya, found an HPV prevalence of 44 percent. In addition, research sample sizes have been small and non-representative, making it difficult to generalize to entire populations, and advanced definitive diagnostic methods for HPV have only recently been made available. There have been no national or sentinel surveillance programs to assess HPV infection in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately HPV prevalence in the region.

Additional HPV epidemiological research in developing countries is needed to develop more effective HPV and cervical cancer prevention strategies. The focus of this research should include the prevalence of specific HPV strains associated with cervical cancer, the prevalence of cofactors affecting the progression to cervical cancer, region-specific risk factors for HPV infection and cervical cancer, and the association between HIV infection and HPV epidemiology. Screening and treatment programs for cervical cancer are also recommended to prevent cervical cancer deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.

Condoms have been shown to be effective in preventing the transmission of many STIs, including HIV/AIDS. Because HPV is transmitted via skin-to-skin contact and genital fluids, HPV is not entirely preventable through condom use. Laboratory and field-based research to evaluate the effectiveness of condoms in preventing HPV transmission has been limited, but correct and consistent use of condoms can be expected to decrease (though not eliminate) the risk of transmitting HPV. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that a number of studies show an association between condom use and a reduced risk of HPV-associated diseases, including genital warts, cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer. The previously mentioned 2001 NIAID workshop report recommended that robust research be pursued to ascertain the true benefits and limitations of an available risk reduction technology latex male condoms for preventing the transmission of STDs. At the same time, research on additional prevention technologies and behavioral interventions must also be pursued in order to advance the health of the public in the U.S. and abroad. For genital hpv relief there a well known and tested natural remedy is Genital Herpes Relief

Most people than ever are getting infected each and every day with HPV. Genital Warts or HPV is one of the most common STDs worldwide. Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection seen at sexual health clinics in the world and it is likely that most of us have had HPV at some time in our lives — although we may not have known it. Doctors are still working on a cure for HPV. But there are remedies which can soothe your pains.

Self Care

Although they don’t hurt, here a few things you can do to protect yourself and others:

• Take care not to damage, scratch or pick at these warts.
• Inform your partner, use a condom, and practice safe sex.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with hot water and soap.
• Avoid touching them. Because they are so contagious, you could spread them with your hands.
• I have tried many products myself to get some relief, but the best relief I have had is with Wartrol Homeopathic Genital Wart Relief to ease the symptoms.

With Pacific Naturals’s Wartrol Homeopathic Genital Wart Relief, you also will be able get relief from the symptoms. 

I am actually thinking about opening a Forum for HPV and Genital Warts sufferers on my blog if there is enough interest. So please watch this space.