STI’s and What You Should Know

Sexually transmitted infections are not something to be taken lightly. They are spread by direct sexual contact and can harbor various symptoms depending on the type of infection. The cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia have reached an “all time high” in the United States in the recent years. One of the reasons for the recent increase in these infections is due to the lack of condom use among certain people groups. This in particular is alarming because condoms are one of the biggest sources of protection against these infections, besides abstinence. We should be more concerned with the threat that these diseases pose and should take steps in order to prevent infection and its spread.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that is characterized by sores. Contact with these sores spreads infection. One of the issues of concern with the rising number of cases is that syphilis can be spread by vertical transmission. This happens during birth when a mother is infected and passes the infection to their child through the birth canal. Congenital syphilis prevalence has increased around 40 percent within the past 3 years. This should be alarming to the public because there are steps that can be taken in order to prevent this from happening, but the steps are not being taken. Safe sex, STI testing, and early prenatal care can help to reduce these numbers in the near future.

Gonorrhea is another infection that is a concern to our public health safety. It is a bacterial infection but is often spread unknowingly because it tends to be asymptomatic in many of its cases. The bacterial infection, caused by N. gonorrhoea, is treated with antibiotics but has been showing signs of resistance. It has shown resistance to 3 of the most common antibiotics that are used to treat the infection: penicillin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin. The increasing resistance is an issue because the more resistant the bacteria become, we lose treatment options and the overall course of the infection could worsen. Scientists are currently working on new types of treatment for gonorrhea including the possibility of a vaccine.