Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)

Chlamydia is a common STD that can infect both men and women. It can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system, making it difficult or impossible for her to get pregnant later on. Chlamydia can also cause a potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy that occurs outside the womb).

• Symptoms show up after 7-28 days after infection.
• Burning when urinating
• Discharge from genitals
• Bleeding between periods (for women)
• Pain during sex
• Watery, white drip from penis
• Need to urinate more often
• Pain in abdomen, sometimes with fever & nausea
• Swollen or tender testicles

Spread during vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia.

• You can give chlamydia to your sex partner(s).
• Can lead to more serious infection. Reproductive organs can be damaged.
• Women and possibly men may no longer be able to have children.
• A mother with chlamydia can give it to her baby during childbirth.
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Yes.

No

Syphilis is a preventable and curable bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI). If untreated, it can cause serious health issues.

Many people with syphilis do not have symptoms or do not notice them. 

Syphilis is transmitted during oral, vaginal and anal sex, in pregnancy and through blood transfusion. Syphilis in pregnancy may lead to stillbirth, newborn death and babies born with syphilis (congenital syphilis).

Correct and consistent use of condoms during sex can prevent syphilis.

Rapid tests can provide results in a few minutes, which allows treatment initiation on the same clinic visit.

Many people with syphilis do not notice any symptoms. They can also go unnoticed by healthcare providers. Untreated, syphilis lasts many years. Syphilis has several stages.

Primary syphilis (first stage):

• usually lasts around 21 days
• a round, painless, usually hard sore (chancre) appears on the genitals, anus or elsewhere
• the chancre may not be noticed and will heal in 3–10 days
• progresses to the second stage if untreated.

Syphilis can be transmitted through chancres if they are not properly covered by a condom during sexual contact.

Secondary syphilis:

• includes a non-itchy rash, usually on the palms and soles of the feet
• white or grey lesions appear in warm and moist areas, such as the labia or anus, at the site of the chancre (given their infectious nature, it is essential to avoid direct contact with these lesions; condom use is a key measure to reduce partner transmission)
• symptoms will go away without treatment.
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Latent syphilis:

• often has no symptoms
• progresses to the third and final stage of syphilis (tertiary) after years if untreated
• tertiary syphilis can lead to brain and cardiovascular diseases, among other conditions.
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Babies born with syphilis can experience:

• rashes
• inflammation in the organs
• anaemia
• bone and joint problems
• neurological conditions including blindness, deafness, meningitis
• developmental delays
• seizures.

Some of these symptoms may only be noticed later in life.

Syphilis is a preventable disease.

Using condoms consistently and correctly is the best way to prevent syphilis and many other STIs. Syphilis can also spread through contact with other areas of the body not covered by a condom, including genitals, anus and mouth.

People at higher risk of infection should be tested at least once a year. 

Pregnant women should be tested for syphilis at the first prenatal care visit and treated right away if the test result is positive. Congenital syphilis can only be prevented by diagnosing and treating the mother with penicillin.

People diagnosed with syphilis should notify their sexual partners to prevent new infections.

Syphilis diagnosis is based on the person’s clinical and sexual history, physical examination, laboratory testing and sometimes radiology, as symptoms are not common or noticeable.

Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Laboratory tests for syphilis include direct detection of T. pallidum through a microscope or indirect methods such as blood tests. Rapid tests are also available and can provide results in minutes, facilitating immediate treatment initiation.

Identifying asymptomatic infection through laboratory or rapid tests and providing adequate treatment of positive cases will prevent further transmission and complications, as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes, including congenital syphilis.

There are currently no diagnostic tests for congenital syphilis. All live or stillborn infants of women with syphilis should be examined for evidence of congenital syphilis. For live-born infants, clinical examination, radiology (if available) and laboratory tests at birth and follow up tests will help to define treatment.

Syphilis is treatable and curable. People who suspect they may have syphilis should speak to their health-care provider.

The early stage of syphilis is treated with a benzathine penicillin (BPG) injection. BPG is the first line treatment for syphilis and the only WHO-recommended treatment for pregnant women with syphilis. As second line treatment, doctors may also use doxycycline, ceftriaxone or azithromycin, which are antibiotic medicines.

BPG is also used to treat later stages of syphilis, but more doses are required. Doses are usually given once per week for three weeks, including when it is not possible to identify the stage of infection.

BPG is the only medicine that can prevent syphilis from being passed from a mother to baby. Babies born with syphilis (congenital syphilis), or babies whose mother had untreated syphilis, need to be treated right away to avoid serious health problems.

Syphilis info provided by the World Health Organization https://www.who.int/

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection that can affect both men and women.  It is a localized infection that can be contained in the genitals, rectum, or throat.   There are an estimated 820,000 new cases of gonorrhea in the United States, and less than half of them are reported to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

According to the CDC 2014 STD Surveillance Report, Louisiana ranks #1 Gonorrhea

There are rising concerns for the cure of gonorrhea as research has indicated gonorrhea is becoming resistant to antibiotics.  We are down to 1 recommended effective class of antibiotics to treat it.  And, this is alarming!

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What can you do?

Young people ages 15–24, and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men continue to be at greatest risk for infection. We know that individual risk behaviors aren’t the only cause. Environmental, social, and cultural factors, including difficulty accessing quality health care, contribute to the higher STD burden. The good news? STDs are preventable! Gonorrhea is preventable! If our goal is to prevent STDs, then we need to know how to talk about them, when to test for them, and how to treat them..

STIs can be cured with antibiotics, but you can repeatedly contract them. The ONLY way to prevent them is by using condoms.