STD: Mobile populations rising incidences of STIs

Mobile populations have also been responsible for the rise in the cases of STIs or STDs globally. Of late, such incidences have risen as the treated and cured person re-contracts the ailment by being intimate with a person who has had STIs or STDs.

The fast transforming lifestyles especially with regards to an individual’s sexual way of life and the increasing use of contraceptives - particularly oral - have put in the back burner the age-old self-control among women.

REASONS FOR THE RISE OF STD CASES

The problem is compounded due to the spread of resistant clones of certain bacteria, fungi, protozoa and other agents responsible for broadcasting many ailments including the STDs.

This single factor has led to an explosion of HIV-1 (the AIDS virus) to the Americas and Europe from Africa in the late 1970s. For instance, studies have shown that there has been a global dissemination of the drug-resistant bacteria - gonococci - which resists penicillin. This fact has also thrown light on the misuse of antibiotics.

This has put up hurdles between the patients and the physicians. The former is now rather reticent in divulging even to the doctor his/her finer and private aspects of sexual topics which otherwise are important for the physician to correctly diagnose the nature of the STIs or STDs. As a consequence thereof, government funding to check STDs always comes a cropper.

STD INCIDENCE HIGH ACROSS THE WORLD

Notwithstanding the advancement in science and technology and also medical researches, the fact remains that the number of patients suffering from STDs is on the rise. In the last three decades, there have been lots of breakthroughs in therapeutic and diagnostic arena concerning STIs and STDs.

This has resulted in the discovery of medications that can halt the STIs or the STDs from spreading. Still, the viruses, protozoa, bacteria and fungi carrying the STIs have been developing immunity from the medications.

MOST VULNERABLE GROUPS: HARD FACTS

The latest World Health Organization (WHO) studies say that two million people fall prey to STI daily. More than 60 percent of these people fall in the less-than-25-year age group. What is more, among them 30 percent are in the below-20-year-age bracket. STDs occur more among the girls than the boys. This is more prominent among the people in the 14-19-age group. The girl to boy ratio in this age bracket is 2:1. The incidences equalize as the sexes attain 20 years.

COMMON SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Across the world, the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among the sexually hyperactive adolescent girls are four. These are herpes simplex virus, Trichomonas vaginalis, syphilis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and chlamydia trachomatis.

Herpes simplex virus affects 15-25 percent of these adolescents; Trichomonas vaginalis attacks 10-19 percent of such adolescents; 0-5 percent of the hyperactive adolescents fall prey to syphilis; Neisseria gonorrhoeae strikes 4-20 percent of this group of people; and 15-20 percent of such young people suffer from chlamydia trachomatis.

On the other hand, the restless adolescent sexually active boys suffer from the following two STDs: N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis. They may not have any indication of urethritis, though. Approximately, four-eight percent of the adolescent boys fall prey to N. gonorrhoeae while 11-15 percent of such young men are attacked by trachomatis.