SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS

 SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS 1
Topic:Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Pages: 10
Words: 2500
References: Harvard
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS 2
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
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Introduction
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are a group of infections acquired mainly through
sexual contact. Your sexual transmission occurs when a sexual risk behaviour, which can be
defined as a history of at least one unprotected penetrative sexual contact with a person which
ignores whether or not an STD, or known is presented that have.In 400 BC, the Greek physician
Hippocrates said that gonorrhoea was excessive indulgence in the pleasures of Venus because
Venus was the goddess of love, these were called venereal diseases. Thus, STIs are known since
ancient times, they were associated with forbidden love. They were grouped based on signs and
symptoms frequent occurrence that may suggest a pathogenesis, an evolution, a family history or
a common therapeutic selection.
Epidemiology
STIs include a number of diseases caused by Viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and
ectoparasite in sex transmission is relevant from an epidemiological point of view (Sharma &
Khandpur, 2004). Even excluding infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), STIs
are a major public health problem, both the burden of disease generated, such as complications
occur if not diagnosed and treated early. Additionally, STIs acquire relevance because they
increase the risk of acquisition and transmission of HIV through mechanisms that modify host
susceptibility and infectiousness of the case index (Cohen, 2004; Rottingen et al, 2001; Zetola et
al, 2009). Moreover, by sharing transmission paths and have HIV shorter latency periods, STIs
can be early indicators of trends in sexual risk behaviours.
According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), in 1999, 340 million
new cases of the four most common STIs: syphilis (12 million), gonorrhoea (62 million), 
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Chlamydia infection (92 million) and trichomoniasis (174 million) were registered worldwide in
people aged 15 to 49 years. The incidence is usually higher in people living in urban areas and
young unmarried and risk of infection by these pathogens increases with low condom use and the
number of sexual partners. In developing countries, STIs and their complications are among the
five most common causes of demand for health care (World Health Organization, 2001).
Since 1996, there were increases in reported cases of gonococcal in the UK, Ireland, the
Netherlands and Sweden (Fenton & Lowndes, 2004). Syphilis cases increased from that date in
several countries in northern and western Europe and numerous outbreaks have been reported in
European cities mainly affecting young people, men who have sex with men (MSM),
heterosexual contact prostitution and drug users (Fenton et al, 2008). Other STIs, such as
chlamydia, genital herpes simplex and genital warts, also experienced increase (Lowndes &
Fenton, 2004) and have been described in several outbreaks of lymphogranuloma venereum (
LGV) in different European countries with involvement of MSM infected HIV ((Vall et al, 2008;
Van de Laar, 2006); in Spain and Portugal have also been detected in cases of LGV
heterosexuals (López-de Munain et al, 2008; Gomes et al, 2009).
The epidemiological situation in Europe in 2008 shows that the STI chlamydia is most
frequent bacterial but not all countries have implemented surveillance and mainly affects young
women; gonococcal infection has increased, although not consistently in all countries, and, like
syphilis has also experienced growth, it is more common among MSM (European Centre for
Disease Prevention and Control, 2010). In Spain, according to the information system of
mandatory disease reporting, since 1995 had been observed a decrease in the number of syphilis
and gonorrhoea cases, which lasted until 2001; on this date, the rate of syphilis stood at 1.8 per
100,000 cases of gonorrhoea and in 2.0 per 100,000. But since then there have been continuous 
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advancement in the incidence of both conditions; particularly noteworthy is the significant
increase in incidence of syphilis that from the year 2004 exceeded the 1995 figures. Recently
there have been changes in the EU to improve monitoring and control of STIs. Europe includes
the assumption of epidemiological surveillance of these diseases by European Centre for Disease
Control (ECDC) and the publication of case definitions across the EU in 2008.
Impact of Culture
Throughout the historical time it was considered that changes in culture negatively affect
community life aspects as their protectors. However, it is not the cultural change that has an
impact on health; it is rather the degree of magnitude of change and how