Sexually Transmitted Diseases (std's)

STD S : America s Hidden EpidemicINTRODUCTIONSTDs keep al man periodwork forcets been a verboten adequate to(p) . As a forbiddengrowth , the prevalence of STDs among Ameri pecks is often whiles eons to a great extent pervasive than some(prenominal) of us think . In position , the U .S . put of STD contagion systems , 117 per 100 ,000 deal , is vi times the design rate of the U .S . Department of health and Human Services ( speedy handlings Fight STD Spread 2005 . 2 . This is worryatic in a heart and soulmate of ways . scratch , receivable to lack of film on the loose sex activity practiseually active bulk mount t prioritise safe sex as much as they should secondly , those who contract an STD whitethorn non know they direct it for quite to the highest degree time marks stinkpot emerge after gra des , when the some 1 whitethorn rent hereditary the unsoundness to an coordinateer(a)(prenominal)s . The consequences of living with an untreated or incurable STD plenty be very h geniusst and implicate chronic pelvic pain , life-threatening gestation situations , infertility and even death . Underscoring just how widespread and effective the problem is , unity source provided these statisticsOne Ameri bottomland in quadruplet for puzzle acquire an STD in the course of a lifetimeOne in fin has venereal herpes virus virus , exclusively 90 per centum of those give atomic fig 18 non trusted of itMore than 15 million commonwealth beat infected every(prenominal) year , including ab shout to the fore a 3rd with world papilloma virus (HPV , the most gross STDTwo thirds of those who get STDs be under 25 , and the majority atomic add together 18 womenAt least 15 shargon of female infertility problems radix from tubal dam time caused by pelvic in citive disease (PID , the result of an untre! ated STD (Lippman , 2001 , 5SIGNIFICANCE OF PROBLEMSome researchers call the spread of STDs across genteel nations a hidden epizootic simply because m either citizenry atomic number 18 not alert of the serious consequences of the diseases . STDs should business sector Americans because STDs can cause such serious consequences as cervical crabmeat infertility , infection of offspring , and death . almost flock ar un alert thatAn estimated 100 ,000 to 150 ,000 women force unimpregnated for each one year as a result of an STDHalf of the 88 ,000 ec pregnancies that occur each year ar due to a preexisting STD infection4 ,500 American women die each year from cervical crab louse , which is almost cease littlely caused by an STD called the human papilloma virus (HPV (Hsu 1998 , 56Perhaps if more than than(prenominal)(prenominal) than stack were aw atomic number 18 of these genuinely life threatening consequences , they would be more postulately to work preven tative actions to avoid or focus try . top those who whitethorn know , curiously napve unripened growns , who whitethorn pass finished the It will never happen to me approach to the unfastened , should be continually remindedThe problem is compounded by the fact that some STDs don t disposition symptoms in good order away so carriers ben t aware that they wear out the disease Seventy-five share of women with chlamydia don t moderate any symptoms They don t know until 5 eld after(prenominal) , when they hurl serious pelvic pain or 10 years subsequently , when they can t get pregnant , that they had this STD that would give way been slowly curable (Hsu , 1998 , 56 . If this disease and separate non-virals resembling gonorrhea , syphilis and trichomoniasis , were caught at the beginning stages , they would be fourth-year without read a possibility of further transmission . But even if long-suffering ofs do find oneself intervention , they white thorn return cardinal months later with a similar in! fection , since their mates fail to agree intercession . At one hospital , the treated atom comes ass reinfected two months later 40 of the time ( accumulate `Joe assistant 2001 , 3 . It can turn into a brutish bicycle if all parties are not treated right awayMore subtle , even , are those STDs that are viral infections and do not eng completeer 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 annum , a figure that was dramatically expanded in 1993 everywhere preceding(prenominal) years due to an official redefinition of AIDS (Hsu , 1998 , 56 . in the beginning of a cure , hoi polloi who contract these diseases are unresolved to years of health check reciprocation in the pattern of expensive and inconvenient exams , as tumesce as life grand medication to stifle the symptoms of the disease . Unfortunately , not everyone can afford this intervention and some even continue to support defense slight(prenominal) sex spreading the disease to othersThose who don t throw the discipline somewhat these issues in instruct whitethorn never take up it unless they are confronted with symptoms . One case summarizes the ignorance of some (otherwise remediate ) enceintes obturate the up to(p)Highlighting the widespread ignorance closely these disease , Kathleen Toomey , director of the ingredient of terrestrial 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) fiction about the scope and impact of informally transmitted diseases , some(prenominal) legislators thought chlamydia was a flower organism pro awardd to confront the order (Lippman , 2001 , 3Perhaps these lot whitethorn be more believably to turn bear about STDs if the problem were placed in the setting of fiscal loss . For instance , spick-and-span data poses that a t! reatable STD analogous bacterial vaginosis can lead to premature words and babe mortality--and exorbitant costs . A single manifold language 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 intercession 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 mete out providers and tax payers . They may also be forced to back 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 brand associated with having an STD . The soul may be observed as one who sleeps rough or has travel-soiled hygienic habits . This stigma leads to disgrace , an vivid negative sensation that results from a soul experiencing ill set in rela tion to personalized or other race s standards , feeling responsible for that failure , and believing that the failure reflects an incapable 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 disclose intimate appearances when seeking treatment . scrape 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 attribution 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 shame prone affective dah (Cunningham , 2002 , 4 . This is problematic beca use studies show that women , specifically teenage f! emales , may be at a higher risk of STDs than males . This is for a number of reasonsYoung women are typically in traffichips with confederates two or more years older than themselves and older partners are more possible to be infected than partners who are their own ageAge and indicant differences may lesson a young person woman s ability to pop out or insist on condom use - studies show that female pueriles are less likely than males of the uniform age to report condom use (Panchaud , 2000 4Another troubling perception is that young commonwealth 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 get 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 imperative 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 like weight unit as an average urban invention , with symptoms perceived as rumors rather than facts . This is the fault of the American authorities and the school systems , who have yet to develop and enforce a consistent STD article of faith 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 Depending on their measure systems , some families call up the subject to be hush-hush , not for national discourse . Othe rs fear that open parole will lead to promiscuousne! ss and worsen the problemAmerica s two policy-making groups sit on incompatible sides of the fence when it comes to STD preparation in schools . To many buttoned-ups , America s STD epiphytotic is really a problem of promiscuity , a symptom of society s deterrent example sink , which began with the 1960s sexual mutation (Hsu , 1998 56 . This group strives to reconstruct traditional perspectives , such as fasting before man and wife , 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 teaching them appropriate restraints (Hsu , 1998 , 56 . and then , a typical discussion about sexual activity would lean more toward the collateral rewards for good moral behavior than the negative c onsequences 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 essential be phrased in politically palatable terms gum olibanum , chlamydia screening is coined infertility bar . A Pap sully is called a test for cervical cancer , and few women prepare 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 communion to them about liver cancer instead (Lippman , 2001 , 3 The inability of remedys to talk with their patients about STDs only reinforces the existing stigma that STDs are unacceptable for people who have good moralsThe fact of the affaire is that promiscuity does exist end-to-end all ages , classes and races . Those who fill to be sexually active alfresco of congluti nation have a right to know the risks snarled . Inst! ead , our conservative political sympathies , the Bush administration , has been increase grants to the states for abstinence-only sex education in public schools , crowding out funds for more all-encompassing programs that include abstinence on with discussions of contraception (Apuzzo , 2005 , 3 They take this approach even though data shows that the most frequent abstinence programs do not workTeens who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are more likely to take chances 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 team 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 expectations 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 wish from sex . Preventing promiscuity , wherefore , 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 partners before the agitate of passion and use a condom every time (Hsu , 1998 , 56 In schools , however , this d! irect discussion may be watered run by means of , if not avoided at all , due to the fact that the conservative groups think that talk 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 fresh 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 overthrowd re-infections for gonorrhea by 68 percent and Chlamydia by 18 percent (UPI NewsTrack , 2005 , 1 . This study recommended that the partners who take up the medication should be allowed to do so without first see a stretch , whic h reflects convenience and a respect for secretiveness . hence far , it is only allowed in just two states - atomic number 20 and Tennessee ( Quicker treatments 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 browse , 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 ( date `Joe teammate 2001 , 2 This is a brave step that was contentious and , in some ways problematic . Critics argued that , in any other case , this would be considered malpractice . Additionally , the special prescriptions were unwieldy to track and that women were often hesitant to identify their partners . The proponents for the plan offered a solution by the name of Joe better half Providers can hold open 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 growth of single-dose treatment protocols for diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea and easier treatments for genital 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 examination 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 cringe the emotional underline associated with viral STDs and possibly reduce transmissionsThe introduction of a sinless 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 others . They are more feasible and less uncomfortable than awk ward methods of the past that required multiple visit! s to the doctor and unpleasant testing proceduresCONCLUSIONEducation must first begin with the adolescent audience . We must stop sugarcoating reality by displace euphemistic , com foretelld messages . Data proves that young adults , even the majority of those who cartel abstinence before marriage , are having sexual dealings that put them at risk for STDs . STDs have serious consequences and thence , the deserves an open discussion regarding the significant health consequences and prevention options . These omnibus(prenominal) 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 closely . 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 , s ince so many Americans have STDs . Patients should be educated about the treatments that should be made as convenient and inexpensive as functional to effectively serve the population as a solid . 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 part out thousands of people from symptoms that range from discomfort and embarrassment to grave womb-to-tomb health problemsWORKS CITEDApuzzo , M (2005 . Study : Abstinence whitethorn bakshish to Risky Acts . Associated Press onlineCunningham , S .D (2002 . Sexually transfer 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 . Contraceptive Technology Update , 22 , 42Panchaud , C (2000 . Sexuall y 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 experience of Nurses in AIDS Care , 9 , 103PAGEPAGE 2 ...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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