Sexually Transmitted Diseases (std's)

STD S : America s Hidden EpidemicINTRODUCTIONSTDs keep al man periodwork forcets been a prohibited adequate to(p) . As a bequeath , the prevalence of STDs among Ameri pecks is often eons to a great extent pervasive than galore(postnominal) of us think . In item , the U .S . rank of STD contagion systems , 117 per 100 ,000 deal , is vi quantifys the remnant rate of the U .S . Department of health and Human Services ( fast handlings Fight STD Spread 2005 . 2 . This is worryatic in a desc kibosh of ways . scratch , receivable to lack of get hold of on the loose brace practiseually active bulk simulate t prioritise safe sex as much as they should second , those who contract an STD whitethorn non know they direct it for quite approximately time marks stinkpot emerge after grades , when the soul white thorn rent hereditary the unsoundness to an an different(prenominal)(prenominal)s . The consequences of living with an untreated or incurable STD plenty be very life-threatening and implicate chronic pelvic pain , life-threatening motherhood situations , infertility and even death . Underscoring just how widespread and life-threatening the problem is , unity source provided these statisticsOne Ameri r bring out out in 4 for put acquire an STD in the course of a lifetimeOne in fin has venereal herpes virus computer virus virus , only 90 per centum of those give atomic shape 18 non definite of itMore than 15 million commonwealth move to a greater extent than or less(prenominal)(prenominal) infected all(prenominal) year , including ab shout to the fore a thirdly with sphere papilloma virus (HPV , the most gross STDTwo thirds of those who get STDs be under 25 , and the majority atomic progeny 18 womenAt least 15 shargon of female infertility pro blems stem turn from tubal dam time caused! by pelvic seditious disease (PID , the result of an untreated STD (Lippman , 2001 , 5SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEMSome researchers call the spread of STDs across genteel nations a hidden epizootic simply because m any citizenry atomic number 18 not alert of the serious consequences of the diseases . STDs should chafe Americans because STDs can cause such serious consequences as cervical crabmeat infertility , infection of offspring , and death . thoroughly-nigh flock ar un awake(predicate) thatAn estimated 100 ,000 to 150 ,000 women bring unimpregnated each year as a result of an STDHalf of the 88 ,000 ec pregnancies that occur each year atomic number 18 due to a preexisting STD infection4 ,500 American women die each year from cervical crab louse , which is almost ever more(prenominal) caused by an STD called the human papilloma virus (HPV (Hsu 1998 , 56Perhaps if more(prenominal) than the great unwashed were aw be of these genuinely life threatening consequences , they would be more postulately to gull preventative actions to avoid or focus hazard . disgorge those who whitethorn know , curiously napve unripened growns , who whitethorn go through finished the It will never happen to me approach to the perceptible , should be continually remindedThe problem is compounded by the fact that some STDs don t disposition symptoms dear away so carriers atomic number 18n t aw atomic number 18 that they part the disease Seventy-five share of women with chlamydia don t moderate any symptoms They don t know until 5 old age after(prenominal) , when they hurl serious pelvic pain or 10 years afterward , when they can t get pregnant , that they had this STD that would apply been considerably curable (Hsu , 1998 , 56 . If this disease and other non-virals interchangeable gonorrhea , syphilis and trichomoniasis , were caught at the beginning stages , they would be fourth-year without adventure of further transmission . But even if unhurrieds do find superstarself inte! rvention , they whitethorn return cardinal months later with a similar infection , since their mates fail to hold out intercession . At atomic number 53 hospital , the treated extremity comes ass reinfected two months later 40 of the time ( hit `Joe assistant 2001 , 3 . It can turn into a culpable bicycle if all parties are not treated right awayMore subtle , even , are those STDs that are viral infections and do not invite a cure . These include HPV , genital herpes , internally transmitted hepatitis B , and the human immunodeficiency virus , or HIV which is responsible for 90 ,000 cases of AIDS per year , a figure that was dramatically expanded in 1993 everywhere preceding(prenominal) years due to an official redefinition of AIDS (Hsu , 1998 , 56 . to begin with of a cure , concourse who contract these diseases are political relation activity issue to years of medical examination reciprocation in the pattern of pricy and inconvenient exams , as tumesce as life colossal medicine to stifle the symptoms of the disease . Unfortunately , not everyone can afford this intervention and some even continue to film defenseless(prenominal) sex spreading the disease to othersThose who don t throw the in puddleation somewhat these issues in instruct may never suck in it unless they are confronted with symptoms . One case checkmarizes the ignorance of some (otherwise improve ) prominents some the arenaHighlighting the widespread ignorance most these disease , Kathleen Toomey , director of the ingredient of temporal concern health , Georgia Department of Human Resources-and one of the panelists at the conference session-recalled When I testified sooner the Georgia world(a) manufacturing about the scope and impact of cozyly transmitted diseases , several(prenominal) legislators thought chlamydia was a flower creation pro stick aroundd to confront the evince (Lippman , 2001 , 3Perhaps these the great unwashed m ay be more believably to have about STDs if the pro! blem were placed in the setting of monetary loss . For instance , spick-and-span data shews that a treatable STD wish well bacterial vaginosis can lead to premature words and infant mortality--and exorbitant costs . A single manifold speech and newborn requiring intensive headache can run up a tab of anywhere from 20 ,000 to more than 1 million (Lippman , 2001 , 8 Those with lower incomes or no medical insurance may be less belike to judge handling once they do , the cost may be much more than they can pay . They will be unable to pay their bills , forcing the cost on health pity providers and tax payers . They may also be forced to brook away time off of work for illness and to go to the touch on , which places low productivity costs on the employerSOCIAL IMPLICATIONSIn today s orderliness , there is an embarrassing defect associated with having an STD . The psyche may be observed as one who sleeps around or has travel-soiled hygienic habits . This stigma leads to disconcert , an needlelike negative sensation that results from a mortal experiencing ill good deal in relation to personalized or other mess s standards , feeling responsible for that failure , and believing that the failure reflects an brusk self (Cunningham , 2002 , 1 . If a person with an STD experiences the combination of stigma and shame , he or she may be less apparent to dis dummy up sexual appearances when seeking treatment . glaze over as a rampart to communication with clinicians could potentially pose an important barrier to care (Cunningham , 2002 , 1Women , in particular , are subject to the obstacles of stigmatization . If it is true(a) that sexual behavior of women is subject to greater sociable controls , and if women are seen to have more responsibility for sexual activity and its consequences , social attri only whenion theory suggests that women would perceive more stigma associated with STDs . at that place is also evidence that females may be more in all probability than males to develop a sha! me prone affective dah (Cunningham , 2002 , 4 . This is problematic because studies show that women , specifically teenage females , may be at a higher risk of STDs than males . This is for a number of reasonsYoung women are typically in traffichips with followers two or more years older than themselves and older partners are more seeming to be infected than partners who are their own ageAge and indicant differences may lesson a three-year-old woman s ability to pop out or insist on condom use - studies show that female childishs are less likely than males of the uniform age to report condom use (Panchaud , 2000 4Another troubling perception is that young population are the just now ones at risk . With man-sized numbers of people divorcing and re-entering the dating scene The risk of infection among older folks is higher than most people exigency to admit according to Linda Alexander , president and chief operating officer of the American Social Health linkup . ASHA s hotlines get calls from 40-year-olds acquire herpes and 30-year-olds becoming infected with HIV , she said (Lippman , 2001 , 5 . These adults may have never learned about STDs in school and were unaware of the consequences . Additionally there is more shame affect with the admission of a disease since society may perceive the action of unprotected sex as feckless oddly for an adultSOCIETAL RESPONSESGiven the serious consequences , why aren t we taught about the consequences of STDs from the time we become sexually active ? In some cases , STDs carry the very(prenominal) weight unit as an average urban falsehood , with symptoms perceived as rumors rather than facts . This is the fault of the American government and the school systems , who have yet to develop and enforce a consistent STD pedagogy externalize within classrooms . Teachers remained relatively close mouthed about the subject for fear of offending students parents , who may be anger by the course material D epending on their entertain systems , some families ! call up the subject to be non state-supported , not for public discourse . Others fear that open word will lead to promiscuousness and worsen the problemAmerica s two governmental groups sit on incompatible sides of the fence when it comes to STD raising in schools . To many buttoned-ups , America s STD epiphytotic is really a problem of promiscuity , a symptom of society s moralistic decline , which began with the 1960s sexual mutation (Hsu , 1998 56 . This group strives to fix traditional perspectives , such as moderation before spousal , in to down the mishap of STDs Generally , this push to abstinence is led by a drive for higher moral values and good feature traits , rather than using education Conservatives believe that young people will behave at the level of greatest aspect and if your expectation of young people is that they will engage in sexual activity , you aren t doctrine them appropriate restraints (Hsu , 1998 , 56 . and then , a typical discussi on about sexual activity would lean more toward the tyrannical rewards for good moral behavior than the negative consequences for sexual behaviorThis easily offendable audience has helped muddy the water to the point that many women at healthcare facilities aren t even aware that they re being tested for STDs . The tests must(prenominal) be phrased in politically palatable terms and so , chlamydia screening is coined infertility bar . A Pap smear is called a test for cervical cancer , and few women form they re actually tested for HPV . The same is true for the Hepatitis B vaccine . Two thirds of new cases are transmitted sexually but since some would be offended that Hepatitis B is an STD , so physicians lecturing to them about liver cancer instead (Lippman , 2001 , 3 The inability of remedys to talk with their unhurrieds about STDs only reinforces the existing stigma that STDs are unacceptable for people who have good moralsThe fact of the numerate is that promiscuit y does exist end-to-end all ages , classes and races! . Those who claim to be sexually active alfresco of uniting have a right to know the risks snarled . Instead , our conservative government , the Bush administration , has been increase grants to the states for abstinence-only sex education in public schools , crowding out funds for more blanket(prenominal) programs that include abstinence on with discussions of contraception (Apuzzo , 2005 , 3 They expect this approach even though data shows that the most democratic abstinence programs do not workTeens who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are more likely to take adventures with other kinds of sex that increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases , a study of 12 ,000 adolescents suggests . Last year the same research group found that 88 percent of teens who pledge abstinence end up having sex before marriage , compared with 99 percent of teens who do not wangle a pledge (Apuzzo , 2005 , 3On the other side of the coin , many liberals believe that the expectati ons for abstinence are too high and that preventing promiscuity is an unrealistic , undesirable goal . Instead , they envision a culture where people are open and comfortable with their sexuality so each person would be able to negociate with his sexual partner about what he deficiencys or doesn t lack from sex . Preventing promiscuity , because , is not the goal preventing unprotected intercourse is (Hsu , 1998 , 56 This outline is focused on education and providing factual sex education that emphasizes the importance of using a condom . Groups like plan Parenthood are especially consistent with this message .

They sum it up in this way , Talk with your partn! ers before the heating of passion and use a condom every time (Hsu , 1998 , 56 In schools , however , this direct discussion may be watered run through , if not avoided at all , due to the fact that the conservative groups think that public lecture explicitly about sexuality piques curiosity and increases the likelihood of sexual experimentationTREATMENTDue to the fact that STDs can be , and have been , spreading at a frightening rate , new treatments are being developed to help slow the epidemic . One new-fangled study claimed that , if antibiotics were given to the partners of people with STDs , the treatment process would be faster and more effective , bring down the chance for new cases . The study of 1 ,800 women and heterosexual men at the University of Washington Seattle found faster antibiotic treatment of the partners of people diagnosed with STDs overcomed re-infections for gonorrhea by 68 percent and Chlamydia by 18 percent (UPI NewsTrack , 2005 , 1 . This study r ecommended that the partners who secure the medication should be allowed to do so without first see a debase , which reflects convenience and a respect for secretiveness . thus far , it is only allowed in just two states - calcium and Tennessee ( Quicker intercessions Fight STD Spread 2005 1California has been experimenting with this approach for about 5 years when the California Senate Bill 648 , dubbed the Ortiz Bill after its champion , Sen . Deborah Ortiz of Sacramento , was enacted . This bill authorizes providers who diagnose chlamydia in a patient to prescribe or provide prescription antibiotic drugs to that patient s sex partner or partners without prior enquiry ( playact `Joe teammate 2001 , 2 This is a brave step that was arguable and , in some ways problematic . Critics argued that , in any other case , this would be considered malpractice . Additionally , the special prescriptions were grueling to track and that women were often hesitant to identify their partners . The proponents for the plan offered a sol! ution by the name of Joe cooperator Providers can publish two prescriptions , one for the patient and one for the spiritual world partner with the name Partner Rx on the prescription form . By being able to see the number of Joe Partner prescriptions , the plan will have a clearer picture of partner treatment ( Meet `Joe Partner 2001 , 4 . The program is promoted through managed care settings to doctors who would screen for chlamydiaWhile the above noted strategy is one of the more bold progressions in STD treatment programs , there have been other advances that are significant . The healthcare industry has begun to choose that the social stigma and lack of information on the subject presents problems that need creative solutions . Convenience , discretion and education are key imperatives when developing new treatments . This realization has led to the development of single-dose treatment protocols for diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea and easier treatments for gen ital warts better examination methods have made widespread STD screening more practical (STD treatment guidelines : questions and answers , 1998 , 1The 1990 s was an important decade for the improvement of STD test prevention and treatment programs . Some late decade developments includedImproved treatments for herpes and human papilloma (HPV ) that makes it easier to administer therapy when symptoms overthrow the emotional underscore associated with viral STDs and possibly reduce transmissionsThe introduction of a innocent urine test that makes it easier to diagnose and treat chlamydia in clinical and nonclinical settingsA hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccination for sexually active youthImproved treatments of STDs in pregnancy that produce fewer side effects and reduce the number of infants born prematurely (STD treatment guidelines : questions and answers , 1998 , 1These new therapies may significantly increase the number of people who can receive treatment fast enough to be cured and reduce the chance of transmitting it to ot! hers . They are more feasible and less uncomfortable than awkward methods of the past that required multiple visits to the doctor and unpleasant testing proceduresCONCLUSIONEducation must first begin with the adolescent audience . We must stop sugarcoating reality by move euphemistic , com foretelld messages . Data proves that young adults , even the majority of those who covenant abstinence before marriage , are having sexual dealings that put them at risk for STDs . STDs have serious consequences and wherefore , the deserves an open discussion regarding the significant health consequences and prevention options . These large discussions should occur in a school or health care setting , with public service marketing reinforcing the messageThese public service messages will also hit home with an adult population who may be unaware of the consequences of STDs as well . This message should be underscored in health care facilities . Those who do contract an STD should feel free to seek information and treatment without stigma or shame , which produce barriers to treatment , since so many Americans have STDs . Patients should be educated about the treatments that should be made as convenient and inexpensive as usable to effectively serve the population as a self-colored . The more this subject is talked about and accepted as a reality in our society today , the more people will recognize it as the epidemic it is . As a result , we can significantly slow the spread of STDs and disunite out thousands of people from symptoms that range from discomfort and embarrassment to tremendous womb-to-tomb health problemsWORKS CITEDApuzzo , M (2005 . Study : Abstinence whitethorn bakshish to Risky Acts . Associated Press onlineCunningham , S .D (2002 . Sexually contagious Infections . stripling Sexual Health ,78 , 103Hsu , G (1998 . America : liberal in STDs . World and I , 13 , 56Lippman , H (2001 . Targeting the other STD . Business Health , 19 , 33Meet `Joe Partner : New STD Treatment Plan (2001 . Contracepti! ve Technology Update , 22 , 42Panchaud , C (2000 . Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Adolescents in Developed Countries . Family Planning Perspectives , 32 , 24Quicker Treatment Fights STD Spread (2005 . UPI Science ReportSTD Treatment Guidelines : Questions and Answers (1998 ) Journal of the familiarity of Nurses in AIDS Care , 9 , 103PAGEPAGE 2 ...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

If you want to get a full essay, visit our page: write my paper