space.template.Sexually+Transmitted+Diseases

STD HIV is a virus that attacks the immune systems Helper T cells. These cells have a CD4 receptor on its surface. When a person is infected the White Blood cells go to work to get rid of the virus. HIV’s goal is to invade the human genome and multiply. It uses our cells to replicate itself and then when it’s done it destroys our cell and you are left with HIV. CD4+ cells are the body’s greatest defense against infections and diseases. When these cells are almost depleted the body can no longer fight against diseases and infections.
 * Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): What is it? and What does it do to the body? **

You can contract HIV from contact with infected blood, vaginal fluid, semen and in some cases a Mother can pass it on to her fetus or through breast feeding.
 * How is HIV Transmitted? **
 * HIV is spread through sexual contact. The virus enters the body through tears in the vagina, rectum and or mouth.
 * Sharing drug needles with someone who has the virus
 * In some cases blood transfusions. (Today that is rare because blood is frequently tested)
 * A mother can pass on the virus through pregnancy, giving birth and through breast feeding.
 * What Increases your Risk factors: **
 * Having unprotected sex
 * Having unprotected sex with multiple partners
 * Men who have sex with other men
 * If you have had a sexually transmitted infection prior
 * Drug users that inject drugs or steroids into their system

According to WebMD, Early symptoms reflect more of a flu or mono. They include the following and can last anywhere from 2-3 weeks. Symptoms can go away and not show themselves again for several years. These are the symptoms: //**As HIV takes over your body you will find that these symptoms will return and new ones will appear. The new symptoms are more severe.**//
 * What are the Symptoms? **
 * Fever
 * Sore Throat
 * Vomiting
 * Diarrhea
 * Headaches
 * Skin rashes
 * Nausea
 * Weight loss
 * Fatigue
 * Concentrating becomes difficult
 * Mouth sores and frequent cold sores
 * Tingling and numbness in limbs
 * Pain when swallowing
 * Loss of appetite
 * Night Sweats
 * Swollen lymph nodes in your neck, armpits and groin
 * Shortness of breath
 * What do you do if you think you have been infected? **
 * First you have to have your blood tested.
 * There is a window period, this is the time after you have been infected until your body starts making Antibodies. That time is anywhere between 2 weeks to 6 months. This basically means that your blood test may show Negative even if you are infected.
 * Depending on your CD4 cell count, your viral load which predicts how far the disease has progressed and how severe your symptoms are there are a variety of drugs that block HIV from infecting healthy cells.


 * What are your treatment options? **
 * Protease Inhibitors – HIV needs protein to duplicate. These medicines will block HIV from Maturing.
 * Nucleoside reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors – Protect the Helper T cells
 * Entry or Fusion Inhibitors – Prevents protein HIV needs from entering our DNA and inserting their genetics.
 * Non-Nucleocide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors- This also stops Protein that HIV needs to replicate itself.


 * How to Avoid Transmission: **
 * Abstinence
 * Avoid substances that interfere with your decision making
 * Always use a condom. Ladies that includes you as well
 * Have a conversation with your partner about sexual history
 * Agree to both be tested prior to sexual encounter.
 * Don’t share needles.
 * Be Monogamous

**__AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome): What is it? And what does it do to the body?__**

 It is the final stage of HIV disease which we covered earlier, and it causes severe damage to the immune system and can result in death. Since Aids is sometimes developed in later cases of HIV, it is gotten the same way. AIDS replaces the body’s CD4+ cells and is especially effective when the body is lagging in them because there are less to replace so it works quicker. AIDS attacks the body’s immune system and is a more advanced form of HIV. If AIDS is developed when the body is no longer able to fight off diseases or infections leaving the body exposed.

**__How is AIDS transmitted?__**  AIDS is contracted not “caught” it doesn’t travel through the air. In order to contract AIDS it must be given through: semen, blood, used needles, vaginal secretions or breast milk. But just because someone has AIDS doesn’t mean they will transfer it to the other person. The receiver may contract HIV and not necessarily the disease of AIDS itself. Shared risk factors with HIV It is important to know that AIDS is an advanced form of HIV so they share many forms of risk factors. People who have sex with multiple people unprotected, sharing of needles or uncleaned needles in drug situations and even men having sex with other men.

**__What are the symptoms?__** -Seizures and persistent diarrhea -Fever -Vision loss -Weight loss and extreme fatigue -Coma -many forms of cancer, specifically immune system cancers -Death

**__If you think you have been infected:__**

-First you need to get a blood test. <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">- sometimes these aren’t even effective because there is a gap, just like HIV between 2-6 months, so get tested again later even if at first it says negative.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">**__Treatment:__** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">As of right now there is no treatment for the final stage of HIV aka AIDS. There are inhibitors for HIV but once HIV advances into AIDS there are no cures.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">**__Avoid Transmission:__** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">To avoid transmission you should avoid the risk factors simply put. Do not share or use dirty needles. Get tested. Do not have unprotected sex or with multiple partners. The only fool proof way however is abstinence.

HPV has become the most common sexually transmitted infection today. There are over 120 different strands of HPV, 40 of them can affect the genitals. There are approximately 14 million infected today and the numbers are growing. It is estimated that 75% of sexually active people will be infected in their lifetime. Many are not aware that they are carriers or that they have had this virus in the past.
 * What is Human Papillomavirus (HPV)? **


 * What you should know: **
 * Low risk strands (6 & 11) can cause genital warts.
 * High risk strands (16 & 18) can cause Cervical Cancer in women as well as Penile and Anal Cancer in men.
 * The virus can lay dormant for up to Nine years.
 * It is impossible to determine who or when you were exposed to the virus.
 * HPV can cause oral and throat Cancers.

HPV is most commonly spread through vaginal, anal, and oral sexual intercourse.
 * How do you contract HPV? **


 * Who is at risk? **
 * Everyone who is sexually active is at risk.
 * People who have unprotected sex
 * People who have multiple partners
 * It is most common in Women ages 20-21 and Men 25-29.

Unfortunately, there are no symptoms with most of the strands**.** Most carriers are not aware they have the virus. The most commonly recognized is genital warts.
 * What are the symptoms? **

Women can go for a Pap smear. The Pap smear will be able to tell you what if any strands you may carry. There are currently no tests for men to confirm or deny they are carriers of this virus.
 * How can you be tested for HPV? **

If you are infected with the virus depending on the strand your body’s immune system will try to fight off the virus. In nearly 70% of the cases HPV’s will clear up on their own within the first year. In the second year, almost 90% will clear up the remainder.
 * What are the treatments? **


 * Prevention: **
 * Abstinence is your best bet.
 * Avoid one night stands
 * Avoid having multiple partners
 * Eat a nutritionally balanced diet. It will keep your immune systems working properly and ultimately help in fighting the virus
 * If you have never had sexual intercourse you can get a preventative vaccine. There are currently two on the market.
 * **Gardasil** which protects against 4 types of HPV strands. It is 99% effective for strands 6, 11, 16, and 18. You take 3 shots over a six month period. It is most effective with children of the ages 11-12. The side effects are pain in the arm from the shot itself.
 * **Cervarix** for women only but covers strands 16 and 18 and are 93% effective.
 * FYI: Wear Condoms! It is not a guarantee because any skin that is exposed is susceptible. It is estimated that male condoms only work 20% of the time. Female condoms are slightly more effective.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">**__Herpes - What is it and how is it caught?__** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">Herpes is a general term for two different kinds of Herpes. There is Oral Herpes which includes but is not limited to cold sores. Then there is also genital herpes which affects the genital region of your body. Herpes is a virus that is made up of two different kinds of viruses that are both very similar HSV-1 and HSV-2. Both can affect the genital area but only HSV-1 causes oral herpes. Even though they are different viruses they are almost treated exactly alike. You can get herpes by having oral, vaginal, or anal sex with someone who has contracted the disease.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">**__How Common is it? What can you do to avoid it?__** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">According to the CDC or Center for Disease Control, one in five sexually active adolescents or adults are infected with the disease and there is no cure for it. In order to avoid it you can either not have any kind of sex or you can get into a monogamous relationship with someone who has been tested and is clean of the disease.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">**__Symptoms?__** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">cold sores or fever blisters but some people with the disease never experience any of the symptoms because the virus will remain dormant and only flare up on occasion causing the cold sores or fever blisters.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">**__Treatment Options?__** <span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">There are no cures for the disease and it will remain in the body for a lifetime. But there are medications like anti viral known as Zovirax, Famvir and Valtrex that make the disease less severe when it decides to flare up and there are medications that make it go away quicker, but no cures.

=__ Instructions STI's __= Each student in the group is responsible for three of the topics below. * As a group you are responsible for creating your own Wiki covering the topics assigned. You may attach files, articles, videos, pictures and/or word documents Be prepared to give your reports orally to the class using your Wiki. Included in your report should be a description of the infectious disease, who it affects, treatment and prognosis. __**How to use the wiki page**__ You can __#|upload files__ or create links to external website or to a page in the wiki. = =
 * __examples:__** Clamydia, HPV, Aids, Syphillis, <span style="background-color: transparent !important; border: currentColor !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-size-adjust: none !important; font-stretch: normal !important; font: 13px/19.5px arial,helvetica,sans-serif !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px !important; min-height: 0px !important; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; text-decoration: underline !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: auto !important;">[[image:http://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png height="19.5"]], other
 * 1) To enter content on this page, click the **EDIT** tab located on the top, right side of the page.
 * 2) Enter the <span style="background-color: transparent !important; border: currentColor !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-size-adjust: none !important; font-stretch: normal !important; font: 13px/19.5px arial,helvetica,sans-serif !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px !important; min-height: 0px !important; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; text-decoration: underline !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: auto !important;">[[image:http://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png height="19.5"]] and click **Save** to save changes.
 * 1) To upload a file or an image, click the **File**icon on the tool bar, upload the file.
 * 2) Click the **Link** icon to enter a link to a url or link to a page in the wiki.

‍‍__**Resourses**__
[|www.EverydayHealth.com] Access to <span style="background-color: transparent !important; border: currentColor !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-size-adjust: none !important; font-stretch: normal !important; font: 13px/19.5px arial,helvetica,sans-serif !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px !important; min-height: 0px !important; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; text-decoration: underline !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: auto !important;"> 12th Edition, Rebecca J. Donatelle []

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