2024-01-31 00:54:15
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every day, more than one million people around the world contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI); More than 30 different bacteria, viruses and parasites are transmitted through sexual contact, including vaginal, anal or oral intercourse.
Some sting, others hurt, and many others are silent. Sexually transmitted infections, a group of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites that are transmitted from one person to another during sexual contact, have numerous ways of expressing themselves in the body and can affect the sexual organs causing serious consequences if not treated. treated appropriately. In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the number of STI diagnoses and represent a public health problem.
These infections are transmitted mainly through penetrative sexual relations (whether vaginal or anal), but also through sexual contact without the need for penetration. Some examples are HIV, syphilis, papilloma, gonorrhea or hepatitis, among others. In recent years, there has been an increase in this type of infections, especially among the youngest and in men who have sex with other men.
All sexually active people are exposed, especially without adequate prevention measures, to possible infection. The fact that some infections are transmitted through skin/mucous contact makes it difficult to have a completely safe sexual relationship that protects you from all STIs. Some of the most common are:
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common STI worldwide, is a group of related viruses that can infect the skin and mucous membranes. Some types of HPV can cause genital warts and increase the risk of developing cancer, mainly of the cervix in women. In the United States, it is estimated that more than 40% of adults are infected by this virus, although most infections go unnoticed and resolve within a few months.
Herpes genital y oral
Genital and oral herpes are infections that have increased considerably in recent years. It is often undiagnosed and unrecorded, making it difficult to have real data. In the United States, it is estimated that between 10 and 20% of the population is infected by herpes virus type 2 (the most common among genital infections). In Spain, it is estimated that there are 46.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants according to recent studies.
Gonorrhea
Another common bacterial infection is gonorrhea, of which, in 2017, 89,239 cases of infection were diagnosed in the European Union. The overall rate was 22.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and almost half (47%) of the diagnoses were in men who have sex with men. The number of cases has increased by more than 30% compared to 2013 in all patient groups.
Clamidia
We also find chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted infection in Europe. In 2017, 409,646 cases were reported with a rate of 146 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This infection often does not present any symptoms, so the number of cases is considered to be higher. Two thirds (62%) of all chlamydia cases are reported in children under 25 years of age, mainly women.
Hepatitis
In the case of hepatitis, a viral infection of the liver, both B and C can affect both acutely and chronically. In Spain, the prevalence of hepatitis B varies between 2% and 8%, with Hepatitis C being a greater concern, with between 130 and 150 million people affected worldwide and an increase in sexual transmission. Hepatitis A, due to its form of transmission (fecal-oral) and without being a “classic” STI, causes microepidemic outbreaks in the population of men who have sex with men.
VIH-SIDA
Finally, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the most serious form of infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV that attacks and weakens the immune system. As the immune system weakens, a person is at risk for infections and cancers that can be fatal. The majority of people diagnosed with HIV in 2017 were men (75%) and the highest proportion of all new diagnoses (38%) were attributed to Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM).
STIs are very common and many people who have them do not have symptoms, a fact that causes them to worsen due to delays in diagnosis, sometimes also caused by profound ignorance about STIs. Therefore, it is important to maintain safe sexual relations, undergo an STI analysis and examination when you have had risky sexual practices, and learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of an STI so that they can be checked and receive treatment if necessary. M.T.T./L.D.B. (SyM)
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