Sexually Transmitted Diseases : Gate Academy

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are diseases passed from one person to another through sexual contact, either genitally, orally, or anally.
Some examples of STDs include syphilis, gonorrhea, genital warts, AIDS, etc.
Common modes of transmission of STDs include:
- General sex (sex through male and female sex organs)
- Oral sex
- Anal sex

HIV is a virus that damages the immune system; the immune system is the part in the body that helps to fight off infections.
Untreated HIV infects and kills white blood cells. The more white blood are killed, the weaker the body is against infections and cancers.
HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids that include:
- blood
- semen
- vaginal and rectal fluids
- breast milk
HIV does not spread in air, water, or through casual contact.
HIV is a lifelong condition, and currently there is no cure.
With medical care, including a treatment called antiretroviral therapy, it’s possible to manage HIV and live with virus for many years.
Some of the ways with which HIV is spread from person to person include:
- by having unprotected sex (either vaginal or anal) with an infected person.
- by sharing needles, syringes, and other items for injection drug use.
- by sharing sharp unsterilized objects with infected persons.
- during pregnancy, labor, or delivery from a woman to her baby.
- during breastfeeding.
- through ‘pre-mastication’, – chewing a baby’s food before feeding it to them.
- through exposure to the blood of someone living with HIV, such as through blood transfusions.

AIDS is a disease that can develop in people with HIV; it’s not every person who has HIV that would develop AIDS.
AIDS develops when HIV is not treated.
If AIDS does develop, it means the immune system is severely compromised; it is weakened to the point where it can no longer fight off most diseases and infections.
There is no known cure to AIDS.