Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Part Three

In this final part I’ am going to talk about the less known STD’s. These are the STDs that you don’t hear people talk about as often as the others do.

CHANCROID This is caused by a bacterium called Haemophilus Ducreyi, which is becoming common in the United States. You can contract chancroid not only by sexual contact but non-sexual contact as well.

So let just say you think you have chancroid. Well, some of the symptoms to look out for are ulcers that become open sores and lymph glands that may occur in the groin. (ASHS, 2001)1 The treatment options available to you are azithromycin, ceftriaxone, cipprofloxacim and an erythromycin base.

EPIDIDYMITIS

This condition is caused by an infection such as chlamydia and gonorrhea (these are the most common). A doctor can tell if you have it by feeling for tenderness around the epididymis and testicles. To treat this STD you can use an antibiotic treatment called doxycycline.

EPSTEIN-BARR AND MONONUCLEOSIS

Okay this is how these two STD’s works. The virus Epstein Barr causes mononucleosis (or mono). This team of diseases can cause a range problems such as fevers, sore throats, headaches and the tired feeling you may have heard people who have mono talk about.

Mono is passed from person to person through salvia, hence the nickname the “kissing disease”. The complications can be as serious as an enlarged spleen and what makes this STD worst is that there is no cure for it. All you can do is relieve the symptoms once you have it.

NONGONOCOCCAL URETHRITIS (NGU)

This is an infection of the urethra, which is caused by a germ. The thing about this STD that there is more than one kind of germ that causes it, like chlamydia trachomatis, ueaplasma urealyticum, trichomonas vaginatis, herpes simplex virus, adenovirus, haemophilus vaginalis, mycoplasm vaginalis and mycoplasm genitalium (ASHA, 2001)2

Now the symptoms for this disease differ for men and women. For men the signs they should look out for are discharge from the penis, burning or pain during urinating, itching, irritation or tenderness and underwear stains (ASHA, 2001)2

The symptoms for women are also burning or pain during urination just like for men but there is also discharge from the vagina, burning or pain when urinating, abdominal pain or abnormal vaginal bleeding (ASHA, 2001)2

If you are unlucky enough to contract this STD some of the treatments available are medication such as azithromycin, doxycycline, erythromycin and ofloxacin (ASHA, 2001)2.

MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM

This is a virus, which is transmitted by not only by sexual contact but also by objects you come in contact with and touching a lesion on a part of a body of a person infected. Things to look for are: legions on the thighs, buttocks, groin and lower abdomen and small bumps, which develop into larger sores/bumps (ASHA, 2001)3

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