Are You Infected? Blog 2

May 14, 2011

Welcome back ! In the previous blog, I talked about why I was so passionate about the topic and some of the stats about teens and STD's. Today, Im going to talk about the two main STD's that are effecting male and female teens in today's society. The two main diseases are gonorrhea and chlamydia. These two effect teens more than they would effect adults. Below is some more information on these STD's:

Gonorrhea is passed on through the person by either having anal, oral, or vaginal sex. By having oral sex, it can be transmitted from the genitals to the throat of the person giving the stimulation. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that more than 700,000 persons in the U.S. get new gonorrheal infections each year and in 2009, 301,174 cases of gonorrhea were reported to CDC.

Gonorrhea can be very dangerous if it's left untreated. In girls, gonorrhea can move into the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries causing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and can decrease the chance of having a baby. Gonorrhea infection during pregnancy can cause major problems for the newborn baby, including meningtis - an inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord - and possibly an eye infection that can result in blindness if it is not treated.

Gonorrhea in boys can spread to the epididymis, causing pain and swelling in the testicular area.

This can also effect other organs and parts of the body including the throat, eyes, heart, brain, skin, and joints, although it is less common.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/infections/stds/std_gonorrhea.html

http://www.cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/stdfact-gonorrhea.htm

Chlamydia is also known as the "silent" disease because the majority of infected people have no symptoms. However, if the symptoms do occur, they usually appear within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure. Chlamydia is a common STD that infects the women's reproductive system. Chlamydia also can cause discharge from the penis of an infected man as well. In 2009, 1,244,180 chlamydial infections were reported to CDC from 50 states and D.C. Women who might have the symptoms might have an abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation when urinating. For men, they might have burning and itching around the opening of the penis.

Both of these STD's are serious infections and it can effect both males and females.

Untreated, STDs can have serious side effects, including:

• unable to have a child

• brain damage

• heart disease

• birth defects

• low birth rate

• premature Birth

• increased risk for some types of cancer

• death

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/std/std4.shtml

http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/stdfact-chlamydia.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/