Wetin be Sexually Transmitted Infection, and how you fit protect yourself?

Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) na infection wey dey pass from one pesin to anoda through sexual intercourse or sexual contact.

More dan one million STIs na im pipo dey acquire everi day worldwide, according to di World Health Organization (WHO).

Dis infections no dey too show symptoms and dem dey hard to detect. Wen di infection show imself wit certain diseases and present particular symptoms, den dem dey call am Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD).

STIs dey spread during sexual intercourse, but sometimes oda skin-to-skin sexual contact fit cause am.

Also, dem fit pass some STIs from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

Oda ways wey STIs fit spread include through blood transfusions, or by sharing needles.

STIs fit potentially lead to serious outcomes including cancer, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancies, and infertility.

Wetin be di types of STI?

More dan 30 different bacteria, viruses and parasites dey wey dey transmit through sexual contact.

Pipo fit also get multiple STIs di same time.

Di most common STIs na syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis. Dis infections all dey curable.

Wetin be di symptoms?

Sexually transmitted infections no dey typically show symptoms or fit cause only small symptoms.

E dey possible say you get infection without knowing it.

But even without symptoms, dis infections fit dey passed through sexual intercourse and dem dey harmful.

Dia symptoms, fit include:

• Unusual discharge from di penis or vagina.
• Sores or warts on di genital area.
• Painful or frequent urination.
• Itching and redness for di genital area.
• Blisters or sores in or around di mouth.
• Abnormal vaginal odour.
• Anal itching, soreness, or bleeding.
• Abdominal pain.

Why STIs dey so common?

For 2020, WHO estimate say 374 million new infections dey of at least one of di most common four types of STIs: trichomoniasis (156 million), chlamydia (129 million), gonorrhoea (82 million) and syphilis (seven million).

More dan 490 million pipo estimated dey live wit genital herpes for 2016, and 300 million estimated fit get HPV infection, di primary cause of cervical cancer for women and anal cancer among men wey dey do sex with men, according to WHO statistics.

“Sex na biological need. E be like eating and drinking, na part of di nature of human being,” Dr Teodora Elvira C. Wi, di lead of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes WHO tok.

“Wen you do sex you fit get STIs. Na why di number of infections dey so high.”

Dr Wi also point to di fact say since STIs dey often asymptomatic - wey mean say no dey show symptoms, pipo fit pass dis infections unknowingly.

Di risk of contracting STI dey increase because of di changing culture around casual sex, pipo get easy access to sex and having more dan one sexual partner at a time, and di increasing use of dating apps, according to Dr Wi.

Although recent studies show say di number of single young adults having casual sex don dey reduce, also dem don dey reduce di use of condoms.

Dr Wi tok say wen HIV treatment no dey available, pipo dey take care to engage in casual sex, especially without condoms.

She tok say pipo for many parts of di world believe say wen dem test for HIV, dem go take dia medicines and dem go dey cured. “So, condom use don go down,” she tok.

For 2022, 1.3 million new pipo dey infected wit HIV, according to WHO data.

More dan 600,000 pipo still dey die every year from di virus becos dem no know say dem get HIV and dem no dey on treatment, or dem start treatment too late, di organisation tok.

How you fit protect yourself from STI?

“Please use condom. Dat na wetin go protect you from having an STI,” Dr Wi tok.

“If you wan have sex wit someone you no sabi or if na casual sex, you need to dey responsible about dis. You beta learn how to use condom and how to enjoy wit am.”

Correct use of latex condoms don greatly reduce, but e never completely take out, di risk of catching or spreading STIs according to health professionals.

If pesin dey allergic to latex, di advice be say na to use polyurethane condoms.

Additionally, especially if symptoms of STI dey detected, e dey crucial to go to healthcare provider immediately for test and treatment.

“No go to di pharmacy wia dem go give you self-treatment because e no fit help you. If you no dey treated well, e fit cause serious consequences, like infertility,” Dr Wi tok.

“Neglecting STIs dey damage health: fit cause pelvic inflammatory disease, bad pregnant outcomes and about one to two million new cases of infertility annually result from new gonorrhoea or chlamydia infections for women wey dem leave untreated,” she tok.

Syphilis for pregnancy fit lead to ova 355,000 negavtive birth outcomes each year with 143 still births and 61,000 neonatal deaths, and HPV dey cause approximately 342,000 cervical cancer deaths annually, she tok.

Wetin be di treatments for STIs?

Sexually transmitted infections wey dey caused by bacteria or parasites, dem fit treat wit antibiotics, but cure no dey for STIs wey virus cause, such as herpes or HPV.

Medicines fit help wit di symptoms and lower di risk of spreading di infection, however.

Also, vaccines dey prevent HPV and hepatitis B.

Dr Wi tok say WHO dey look into di development of gonorrhoea vaccine and therapeutic vaccine for genital herpes, dem still dey develop am, wit mechanism similar to di mRNA vaccines wey dem use for Covid 19, she add.

Dr Wi also point out say dem don dey work on developing chlamydia vaccine as well as basic research for possible mechanisms to develop syphilis vaccine..

Wetin goment fit do to prevent STIs?

In most of di world, funding for goment programmes for di prevention and di control of STIs dey limited.

“Becos of di stigmatisation of STIs, e no dey priority. E no dey politically sharp to dey fund STI services, e no go fit give you votes for election,” Dr Wi tok say.

She tok say make goment provide easier and more affordable access to health services and provide bigger funding for di development of tools for di diagnosis and di treatment of common STIs - like rapid, point-of-care tests and vaccines.

“STIs dey totally neglected as an infectious disease. We need to reduce di stigma around am and treat am like any oda infection,” she tok.