Sexually transmitted diseases, some of which have no known cure, are on the rise. The most notable of these diseases is HIV/AIDS, which surfaced in the 1980s and has been the cause of millions of deaths worldwide.
In addition to this devastating disease, more common sexually transmitted diseases include Chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and genital warts.
The symptoms associated with each of these diseases are:
HIV/AIDS: Someone with AIDS would experience infections, Kaposi’s sarcoma, characterized by bluish skin lesions that steadily progress, night sweats, coughing (similar to flu-like symptoms), swollen glands, and diarrhea.
Chlamydia: More commonly known as the “silent disease” because some who are infected may show no symptoms. But for others, the symptoms may include burning or itching when urinating, and white discharge.
Herpes: A more common condition, for which there is no cure, the symptoms may encompass sores on the genital area, fever, discharge, itching, pain, and overall lethargy.
Gonorrhea: Cured with drugs, gonorrhea presents itself with discharge, burning when urinating, and like Chlamydia, can also have no symptoms.
Syphilis: This disease’s symptoms range from sores on the genital area, mouth, anus, as well as accompanied by a sore throat, and low fever.
Genital Warts: The symptoms of this disease may appear in the form of itching, bleeding, or the appearance of warts in small clusters.
Among all of these sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and Herpes have no current cure. In addition, if it is detected that a fetus has contracted Syphilis, there is no cure.
Are fetuses immune to any of the other STD’s? According to case studies, we already know that the fetus can contract HIV/AIDS. In addition, a baby can contract Chlamydia Gonorrhea, Genital Warts, and Herpes during vaginal birth. While we know the outcome for HIV/AIDS in babies, Chlamydia can cause ear and eye infections or pneumonia, Herpes can cause the baby to incur skin infections, blindness or retardation, and Genital Warts can also occur in newborns where the warts may block the windpipe.
These sexually transmitted diseases and their consequences are gruesome, to say the least. Education is important to be able to understand the risks involved in unprotected sex, as well as understanding how these diseases can have a lifelong affect on our children.
Currently, researchers worldwide are trying to find cures for these diseases. However, the process is a slow and methodical one. Children need to be taught early on about the types of diseases they can contract if they are not careful in their judgment. It would be greatly beneficial if an HIV/AIDS curriculum be mandated in all schools, as well as classes on STD’s and their devastating effects.
