29/06/2020
More than 30 different , and are known to be transmitted through contact.
of these are linked to the greatest incidence of s*xually transmitted disease. Of these 8 infections, 4 are currently : , , and . The other 4 are viral infections which are : Viral simplex virus (HSV or herpes), , and human papillomavirus ( ). Symptoms or disease due to the incurable viral infections can be reduced or modified through treatment.
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are spread predominantly by s*xual contact, including vaginal, a**l and oral s*x. Some STIs c an also be spread through non-s*xual means such as via or blood products. Many STIs—including syphilis, hepatitis B, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, and HPV—can also be transmitted from mother to child during and childbirth.
A person can have an STI without having obvious of disease. Common symptoms of STIs include vaginal discharge, urethral discharge or burning in men, ge***al ulcers, and abdominal pain.
STIs can have serious consequences beyond the immediate impact of the infection itself, STIs like herpes and syphilis can increase the risk of HIV acquisition three-fold or more.
Mother-to-child transmission of STIs can result in stillbirth, neonatal death, low-birth-weight and prematurity, sepsis, pneumonia, neonatal conjunctivitis, and conge***al deformities.
STIs such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia are major causes of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility in women.
of STIs:
and interventions offer primary prevention against STIs (including HIV), as well as against unintended pregnancies. These include :
1) Comprehensive s*xuality education, STI and HIV pre- and post-test counselling.
2) Safer s*x/risk-reduction counselling, condom promotion.
3) STI interventions targeted to key populations, such as s*x workers, men who have s*x with men and people who inject drugs.
4)STI prevention education and counselling tailored to the needs of adolescents, furthermore counselling can improve people’s ability to recognize the symptoms of STIs and increase the likelihood they will seek care or encourage a s*xual partner to do so.
5) When used correctly and consistently, condoms offer one of the most effective methods of protection against STIs, including HIV.
of STIs:
Effective treatment is currently available for several STIs.
Three bacterial STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis) and one parasitic STI (trichomoniasis) are generally curable with existing, effective single-dose regimens of antibiotics.
For herpes and HIV, the most effective medications available are antivirals that can modulate the course of the disease, though they cannot cure the disease.
For hepatitis B, antiviral medications can help to fight the virus and slow damage to the liver.
STI management :
Low- and middle-income countries rely on identifying consistent, easily recognizable signs and symptoms to guide treatment, without the use of laboratory tests. This is called syndromic management. This approach, which often relies on clinical algorithms, allows health workers to diagnose a specific infection on the basis of observed syndromes (e.g., vaginal discharge, urethral discharge, ge***al ulcers, abdominal pain).
management is simple, assures rapid, same-day treatment, and avoids expensive or unavailable diagnostic tests for patients that present with symptoms. This approach results to overtreatment and missed treatment as majority of STIs are asymptomatic. Thus, in addition to syndromic management, screening strategies are essential.
To interrupt transmission of infection and prevent re-infection, treating s*xual partners is an important component of STI case management.
and other interventions:
Safe and highly effective vaccines are available for 2 STIs: hepatitis B and HPV. These vaccines have represented major advances in STI prevention. The vaccine against hepatitis B is included in infant immunization programmes in 95% of countries and prevents millions of deaths from chronic liver disease and cancer annually.
As of October 2018, the HPV vaccine is available as part of routine immunization programmes in 85 countries, most of them high- and middle-income. HPV vaccination could prevent the deaths of millions of women over the next decade in low- and middle-income countries, where most cases of cervical cancer occur, if high (>80%) vaccination coverage of young women (ages 11-15) can be achieved.
Research to develop vaccines against herpes and HIV is advanced, with several vaccine candidates in early clinical development. Research into vaccines for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis is in earlier stages of development.
Other biomedical interventions to prevent some STIs include adult male and .
circumcision reduces the risk of heteros*xually acquired HIV infection in men by approximately 60% and provides some protection against other STIs, such as herpes and HPV.
At the National Blood Transfusion Service Nigeria - NBTS We are Committed to playing our vital role to help reduce the incidence and prevalence of s*xually transmitted diseases, we do this by making sure that all our blood units are properly screened for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis using the latest Automated Elisa Technology.
We also have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and an Efficient Quality systems (Including feedbacks and critical appraisals) to make sure that all blood units Transfused to every Nigerian is Safe and of the best quality.
To learn more about Safe Blood and Sexually Transmitted , Visit centre close to you, so you can speak to our well trained and professional counsellors, we also have an effective and efficient structure down to the grassroots through which we Conduct Awareness, Sensitisation and Advocacy programs on Safe Blood and Public health Importance of STIs.
Safe Blood Saves Lives!!!
