SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDS) AND HIV/AIDS

MEANING OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDS)

Sexual activity comes with risks of sexually transmitted diseases/infections (STDs/STIs), including HIV/AIDS. While some can be treated, others cannot. They can cause very serious damage to the body and even death. STD is an illness spread from one person to another through sexual contact.

TYPES OF STDs

1. GONORRHEA: This is caused by the bacterium “Neisseria gonorrhoea”. It is spread through sexual contact between infected persons.
2. SYMPTOMS

• Itching and discharge from penis and vagina
• Painful urination
• Can cause infertility
• If a pregnant woman has the disease, her child’s eyes will be affected at birth.
• Treatment is with antibiotics

 

2. SYPHILIS: It is caused by the bacterium “Treponema pallactium”. It is spread through sexual contact between infected persons.
   • SYMPTOMS

• Sores on the sex organs
• Fever, aches, rashes and hair loss.
• At later stages, it affects the heart, eyes and brain.
• It can leads to insanity and death.
• Treatment is with antibiotics.

 

3. ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS): one of the most frightening of all STDs is AIDS. It is caused by:
4. A virus called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
5. HIV enters the body of a person and kills the cells of the immune system.
6. HIV makes the body weak and less able to fight sickness.
7. People with HIV in their body go on to become sick with AIDS. AIDs results in death.

HOW HIV CAN BE SPREAD

1. Having sex with someone who already has HIV
2. Transfusion of infected blood
3. Use of a needle or blade that has been used on a person with HIV and not sterilized afterwards.
4. Women with HIV can pass it to their babies. The baby becomes infected in any of these three ways;

While in the mother’s womb

At birth

Through the breast milk (breast feeding).

SIGNS OF HIV/AIDS

• People with HIV/AIDS suffer sickness like fever, rashes and diarrhoea.
• They also lose weight
• Death is the final result.

TREATMENT OF HIV/AIDS

• At the moment, there is no known cure for HIV/AIDS.
• There are however, medicines that can help infected persons to fight off the sickness that come with HIV/AIDS
• Antibiotics and other medicines can help people with HIV/AIDS to feel much better and help to live longer.

GUIDELINES FOR CARING FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS

• Provide a home where there is peace, rest, love and acceptance.
• Help them with household work so that they can have enough rest.
• Make them eat nutritious food
• Give them love and support
• Share their financial burden
• Wash their clothes and pay them regular visits.

MEANING OF SELF MEDICATION

This is the process where a person prescribes a drug for self or gets someone else other than a qualified professional to do so when he/she is sick.

CONSEQUENCES OF SELF MEDICATION

1. A person’s self-diagnosis of illness might be wrong, so you may buy the wrong drug for an illness.
2. You may take the wrong dosage of drug even when the drug is suitable for the illness.
3. There may be serious side effects of a given drug.
4. There may be complications of the disease being treated.
5. It can lead to other serious health conditions
6. It can lead to body resistance to abused drugs.
7. It can leads to prolonged length of a sickness.
8. It can lead to death.

Evaluation:

• State the symptoms of syphilis and gonorrhea
• State 4 ways by which STIs, HIV/AIDs could be contacted
• Explain guidelines for caring for an infected person
• State the consequences of self-medication.

Assignment:

What are the effects of HIV/AIDs to the victims, the victims’ families and the nation?

See also:

ADOLESCENCE AND SEXUALITY

HYGIENE AND PUBERTY

FAMILY CONFLICTS AND CRISIS

FAMILY CONFLICTS AND CRISIS

IMPACTS OF FAMILY VALUES AND LIFESTYLE