common sexually transmitted diseases (std’s)
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health matters
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is the name of a condition in
women where the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina
is disrupted and replaced by an overgrowth of certain
bacteria. It is sometimes accompanied by discharge,
odor, pain, itching or burning. BV is the most common
vaginal infection in women of childbearing age. In the
U.S., as many as 16 percent of pregnant women have
BV.
Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium, chlamydia
trachomatis, which can damage a woman’s
reproductive organs. Even though symptoms
are usually mild or absent, serious complications
that cause irreversible damage, including infertility,
can occur “silently” before a woman ever
recognizes a problem. Chlamydia also can cause
discharge from the penis of an infected man. In
2004, 929,462 chlamydial infections were reported
to CDC from 50 states and the District
of Columbia.
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Genital Herpes is caused by the herpes
simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2
(HSV-2). Most individuals have no, or only
minimal signs of the disease. When symptoms
do occur, they typically appear as one
or more blisters on or around the genitals
or rectum. The blisters break, leaving
tender ulcers (sores) that may take
two to four weeks to heal the first time
they occur. Typically, another outbreak
can appear weeks or months after the
first, but it almost always is less severe
and shorter than the first outbreak. Although
the infection can stay in the body
indefinitely, the number of outbreaks
tends to decrease over a period of years.
Nationwide, 1 out of 5 adolescents and
adults have had genital herpes infection.
Genital HPV Infection is caused by human
papillomavirus (HPV). Human papillomavirus
is the name of a group of viruses
that includes more than 100 different strains or
types. More than 30 of these viruses can infect
the genital area of men and women including the
skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina),
or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix or
rectum. Most people who become infected
will not have symptoms and the infection will
clear up on its own.
Gonorrhea is caused by neisseria gonorrhoeae,
a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in
the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract,
including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus
(womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women,
and in the urethra (urine canal) in women and
men. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth,
throat, eyes and anus. CDC estimates that more than
700,000 persons in the U.S. get new gonorrheal infections
each year.
Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease caused by a virus.
HBV is spread through sexual contact with an infected
person. People of all ages can contract hepatitis
B and about 5,000 die each year from sickness caused
by HBV.
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Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is a general term that
refers to infection of the uterus (womb), fallopian tubes
(tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus) and
other reproductive organs. If left untreated, it can lead to
serious consequences including infertility, ectopic pregnancy
(a pregnancy in the fallopian tube or elsewhere outside
of the womb), abscess formation and chronic pelvic
pain. Each year in the U.S., it is estimated that more than
one million women experience an episode of acute PID.
Annually, more than 150 women die from PID or its complications.
Syphilis is caused by the bacterium treponema pallidum.
It has often been called “the great imitator” because
so many of the signs and symptoms are indistinguishable
from those of other diseases. Many people infected with
syphilis do not have any symptoms for years, yet remain at
risk for late complications if they are not treated.
Trichomoniasis affects both women and men, although
symptoms are more common in women. Trichomoniasis is
the most common curable STD in young, sexually active
women. An estimated 7.4 million new cases occur each
year in women and men.
(source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
www.cdc.gov/std/trichomonas/default.html.
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| The causal complexities compel multiple perspectives for
360-degree comprehension of the problem’s scope. |
Such multi-level causal dynamics compel multi-level conceptual perspectives,
which various experts presenting at the conference provided:
Epidemiological There are significant disparities in bacterial STDs that
affect African American communities throughout the nation.
Sociological Sociological determinants such as sex partner concurrency,
dissortative mixing, and segregation influence STD rates in African-
American communities. Contextual factors such as racial and economic
oppression, high rates of incarceration, and drug abuse play an important
role in sexual partnering decisions.
Behavioral Individual-level behavior puts one at risk of acquiring an
STD—but to a different extent depending on race. Unlike whites, African
Americans need not engage in high-risk behavior to be at high
risk of contracting an STD owing to the greater prevalence of STDs in
African-American communities.
Structural Health care related and health care policy related structural
factors contribute to the high STD prevalence. Health care access and
quality varies dramatically among populations and is worse in higher-
STD-risk areas. Moreover, timeliness of detection and treatment affect
prevalence in a community, so improving access to acceptable health
care should be part of the solution.
Statistical. Measurement of disparities is an area that can either add
clarity or further confuse issues. Standardized measurements and defi-
nitions of such terms as “parity” and “disparity” must be created in order
to assess progress toward—and accomplishment of—end-goals.
Episemological. There are alternate “ways of knowing” less familiar to
Western-educated thinkers that must be embraced for full perception
of the “human condition in its most troubled state”—of which STD disparities
are just one symptom. Appropriate responses to the problem
depend upon this deep understanding of the experiential reality of the
people involved.
Spiritual. The faith factor—belief in a redemptive dynamic—must be
operative in the work for it to succeed.
Importantly, all of these perspectives dovetail and point to the same
broad conclusion about the root cause of racial health disparities: deep
racial inequality in America.
(source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) |
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