Question

What are sexually transmitted diseases? What principle should be followed to be free from these infections?

Answer 1

Sexually transmitted diseases mainly affect the reproductive organs of an individual and can be a cause of infertility. Around 25 have been discovered so far. Certain kinds of barrier methods can be used to protect oneself from these infections.

Complete answer:
Sexually transmitted diseases or STDs are diseases or infections which are transmitted through sexual contact. They may also spread through the usage of shared needles or breastfeeding by an affected mother. They are also known as Venereal diseases(VDs) or Reproductive Tract Infections(RTIs). E.g: Syphilis, Gonorrhea, AIDS, genital herpes, etc. These can be prevented by taking the following measures like:
-A person should avoid sex with unknown or multiple partners.
-A person should use condoms or other barrier methods during coitus.
-A person should seek immediate help from trained medical professionals in case of doubt and get it completely cured.

Additional Information: -AIDS or Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome was first recognized in the United States in 1981 when a group of patients displayed an extremely rare skin tumor. A thorough and complete evaluation of the patients showed that they all bear a common marked deficiency in cellular immune responses and a significant decrease in the sub-populations of T-cells.
-The causative agent of AIDS is HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is spherical or oval in shape. The virus consists of a capsid nucleus containing the genetic material enclosed by a protein envelope. Many glycoprotein spikes are present over the protein envelope.
-The HIV genome consists of a folded form of two helices RNA molecules. The reverse transcriptase enzymes are also present which are responsible for the conversion of the RNA into DNA. One more enzyme called integrase is also present which has got a very important role in introducing the viral genome into the host cell.

Note: The incubation period of the HIV virus is very long i.e., almost 10 years before it starts to attack the immune system. Since the immune system is the human body’s natural defense mechanism, and after an HIV attack it becomes very weak as a result it seems harder for the patient to fight off infections and diseases.