STI's (10)

Question 1

What are STI’s?

Answer 1

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are passed from one person to another though unprotected sex.

Question 2

What is the effect of STI’s?

Answer 2

They can affect the general health and fertility of the people who have them. STIs are caused by micro-organisms such as viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Question 3

Anyone who has sex has a chance of getting infected with an ___ and the more sexual partners he or she has, the greater the chance of getting infected.

Answer 3

STI

Question 4

The incidence of STIs is highest between ___ – ___ years and is usually the result of multi-le partners.

Answer 4

15-29

Question 5

Are STI’s life-threatening?

Answer 5

While in many instances STIs are not life threatening, they are extremely dangerous as they weaken the body’s defences, making it much easier for the HI virus to enter the body. HIV/AIDS is the most serious of all the STIs.

Question 6

Examples of STIs are: (3)

Answer 6

• HIV/AIDS, genital warts and genital herpes (caused by viruses)
• gonorrhoea and syphilis (caused by bacteria)
• thrush (caused by fungi).

Question 7

What is HIV/AIDS caused by?

Answer 7

HIV/AIDS is caused by a virus. The human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) is passed from one person to another through the transfer of body fluids such as semen or vaginal fluids during sexual intercourse, blood during blood transfusions and milk from an infected mother who is breastfeeding her baby.

Question 8

___ attacks the body’s immune system making it difficult for an infected person to fight off other diseases and infections. As the body’s immune system gets weaker and weaker, a condition called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) develops.

Answer 8

HIV

Question 9

What are some symptoms of AIDS? (3)

Answer 9

• loss of appetite
• rapid loss of weight
• diarrhoea lasting longer than a month

Question 10

Even if an HIV-positive person responds well to ___ drugs, they still have the virus and must remember to act responsibly if they decide to have sex. Such a person might appear to be fit and healthy but can still infect his or her partner if they decide to have unprotected sex.

Answer 10

ARV

Question 11

The socio-economic consequences of HIV/AIDS in southern Africa are very serious. ____ ____ has the highest percentage of people infected with HIV in the world. In some parts of southern Africa, more than a third of the people are HIV-positive, many of them with full-blown AIDS.

Answer 11

Southern African

Question 12

What are some of the social consequences of HIV/AIDS? (4)

Answer 12

• People who are HIV-positive or who have AIDS are often treated badly by other people in the community.
• People spend more and more time caring for sick family members.
• Families suffer as they lose loved ones. Older people may lose their children and grandchildren, and children may lose their parents.
• Families and communities cannot function as before as it is often the young and middle-aged adults who die from AIDS. These are the people who would normally be supporting their families and communities.

Question 13

What are some of the economic consequences of HIV/AIDS? (4)

Answer 13

• Many young people do not have access to education and development that they need in order to become economically productive members of society because they are too busy caring for sick relatives or their younger siblings.
• As families lose their breadwinners, there is financial hardship as less money is available for food, accommodation, clothes and education. • The healthcare system is put under a lot of strain as there is often not enough money to provide the treatment needed for all the sick and dying patients.
• Local economies suffer as there are not enough skilled workers to run businesses, schools and hospitals.

Question 14

What is a Syphilis?

Answer 14

Besides Aids, syphilis is a common sexually transmitted infection. It is caused by a bacterium that enters the body through tears inmucous membranes in the genital areas.

Question 15

How does infection take place? (2)

Answer 15

Syphilis is spread:
• most often by direct sexual contact with a person who has an active infection.
• by being passed on to a foetus during pregnancy.

Question 16

How is syphilis diagnosed?

Answer 16

In the primary stage, symptoms of syphilis are easily missed so an early diagnosis is difficult. Diagnosis is by blood tests that test for antibodies to the bacteria that cause syphilis. Because the symptoms of syphilis are so varied, it is wise to test any person with possible signs of syphilis.

Question 17

What are symptoms of syphilis? (3)

Answer 17

• Soon after infection a small bump appears on the penis, vagina or cervix. This gradually turns into a painlesssore or ulcer that disappears after a few weeks. This stage may go completely unnoticed, which results in the spread of this sexually transmitted disease, as people in the primary stage of syphilis are very infectious.
• The second stage is characterised by similar sores, a skin rash on other parts of the body and possibly a mild fever.
• The third stage may occur ten or more years after infection. The bacterium by this time will have invaded most parts of the body, and will begin to cause damage to many organs such as the liver, bones, blood vessels and the nervous system.

Question 18

How is the treatment?

Answer 18

It is easily and successfully treated with antibiotics. The infection can be fatal if not treated.

Question 19

What is gonorrhoea?

Answer 19

Gonorrhoea is probably the most common STI. It is caused by a bacterium and is very infectious. The bacterium lives and breeds in the moist, warm linings of the reproductive and urinary tubes and cavities. Gonorrhoea infection takes place most often by direct sexual contact with a person who has an active infection.

Question 20

What are the symptoms of gonorrhoea?

Answer 20

This disease usually first appears in the genital areas but can affect many other body parts.

Question 21

How does gonorrhoea start in females?

Answer 21

In women gonorrhoea most often starts as an infection in the cervix. Unfortunately, 50 to 60% of women with gonorrhoea do not know they have the infection as they have no symptoms.

Question 22

What do gonorrhoea symptoms include?

Answer 22

• painful urination and/or pain during intercourse (this is because the urethra and/or vagina is infected and inflamed by the bacteria).
• a cloudy, yellowish vaginal discharge.

Question 23

About 85% of infected men have symptoms that develop within two to ten days of being infected. What is male symptoms?

Answer 23

• The main symptom is a yellowish urethral discharge, often with very painful urination. • Sometimes the testicles are painful

Question 24

It is easily treated with antibiotics. If not treated it could lead to serious complications. It is important to: (3)

Answer 24

• re-test the infected person once the antibiotic course is finished to ensure the infection is cured.
• treat all sexual partners of the infected person.
• abstain from sexual activity until gonorrhoea has cleared up.

Question 25

What are the complications? (4)

Answer 25

• The infection can spread throughout the female reproductive tract resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease. This can cause great damage to the reproductive organs, and may lead to infertility.
• In pregnant woman there is an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy, a miscarriage or premature birth.
• During childbirth the bacteria may pass from a mother to her baby, this could lead to pneumonia or a serious eye infection that can cause blindness in the baby.
• Re-infection with gonorrhoea is common.

Question 26

Avoiding or preventing the transmission of STIs.

We have to make responsible choices about our sexual behaviour to avoid getting infected with STIs. (6)

Answer 26

• We can choose to abstain from sex. People who do not have sex will not become infected with STIs.
• We can choose to abstain from alcohol and drugs. People who drink or take drugs are far more likely to take risks or make irresponsible choices about sex.
• We can choose sexual partners carefully.
• We can choose to be faithful, i.e. have a monogamous relationship. If two people who are not infected with an STI have sex only with each other and nobody else, then they will not get infected with an STI.
• We can choose to use a condom. Condoms prevent people coming into contact with the semen or vaginal fluids of an infected partner, which reduces the chances of becoming infected with an STD.
• We can choose not to ignore symptoms and get treated immediately if an infection is suspected; and telling previous sex partners, if one has an infection, so they can go for treatment if necessary.