STIs: Sexually Transmitted Infections

What are STIs?
STI stands for sexually transmitted infections. There are 4 types of STI pathogens, which are
Fungi, Protozoa, Bacteria and Viruses. Candida is a Fungi. Trichomonas is a Protozoa.
Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Syphilis are bacteria. HPV, HIV, HBV, and Herpes are viruses. All
STIs are infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. In short, when you have sex with an infected person, you can be infected by STIs.

Medical features of STIs
Sexually transmitted infections cause signs in the penis or vagina. These signs are an unusual
color or bad-smelling fluid coming from the vagina or penis, itching or painful genitals, sores or blisters on the genitals, and pain in your lower abdomen or pain during sex. If you ignore these signs, you may make future pregnancy difficult and pass STIs to your future children. Some STIs can dramatically damage the human body. In the worst case, this damage can lead to death. STI symptoms can be cured but some viruses and fungi will always be in our bodies after we are infected. So, we must learn to live with them all of our lives.

How to prevent STIs
If you think you have an STI, see a health worker, stop having sex, or use condoms. When you
use a condom, make sure it is new and undamaged. Squeeze the tip of the condoms and put
it on the end of the hard penis. Keep squeezing the tip while unrolling the condom, until it
covers all of the penis. The loose part at the end will hold the man’s sperm. 

Related to STIs, HIV is one of the most important STIs. There isn’t a care for HIV, but we can control HIV. Once we are infected with HIV, we will always have it. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by HIV. HIV destroys the immune system which is our body's protection system. HIV spreads in several ways (sex, blood-to-blood, infection, etc.), but is not found in sweat, saliva, or tears. So, it is essential to use condoms and not to share tools such as tattooing tools, ear piercing, and nail cutters.

Please understand that when we have sex without using a condom we can catch any of these
STIs, or all of them.