What Is the Meaning of STD?
STD is an acronym for sexually transmitted disease, which is any disease that is transmitted by sexual contact. The older term for STD was venereal disease, or VD, which stems from the term "sickness of Venus" (Venus was the Roman goddess of love).
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Fluid-Transmitted Diseases
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Some STDs are passed through sexual contact through genital secretions, such as saliva, semen or vaginal fluids. Genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhea and syphilis are included in this group.
Blood-Transmitted STDs
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Other STDs can only be passed through the bloodstream. HIV (which leads to AIDS) and hepatitis are only passed through blood. Although they can be carried through bodily secretions, such as semen, mucus or saliva, they have to get into the blood stream of the other person to infect them, be that method through a dirty needle, an infected blood transfusion or an open sore.
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Prevention of STDs
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Although the only sure methods of avoiding STDs are abstinence from sex, not sharing hypodermic needles and avoiding blood transfusions, condoms and screening of blood donors are the most-used preventive measure against STDs. Unfortunately condoms can break and are not 100 percent effective in preventing STD transmission via sexual contact.
Treatment for STDs
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Treatment options depend on the disease. Some diseases cannot be cured, such as HIV, genital warts and genital herpes. Others, such as gonorrhea and syphilis, can be cured fairly easily. Still others can be cured, but the treatment is potentially grueling, such as the use of interferon for Hepatitis C, which can take a year or more to cure and make a person very ill while being treated.
Importance of Education
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Education is an important key to stopping the spread of STDs. The more people know about the potential consequences of acquiring an STD and the potential effects on their lives, the more likely they are to take proper precautions, be more selective with partners and to use precautions with the partners they do have.
Importance of Screening for STDs
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If you are sexually active it is your responsibility to society, yourself and your sexual partners to get screened at least every six months to ensure that you are not carrying any STDs. Some diseases, such as HIV, can be undetectable for up to six months after sexual contact. If you have only one partner and are faithful to one another this is not as necessary after the first few screenings.
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References
- Photo Credit condom image by Jorge Casais from Fotolia.com
