HARZARDS, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES A CASE STUDY OF ONITSHA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ANAMBRA STATE.

Background of the Study
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections that can be transferred from one person to another through any type of sexual contact. STDs are sometimes referred to as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) since they involve the transmission of a disease-causing organism from one person to another during sexual activity (Abudu & Odugbemi, 2015). It is important to realize that sexual contact includes more than just sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal). Sexual contact includes kissing, oral-genital contact, and the use of sexual “toys,” such as vibrators. STDs probably have been around for thousands of years, but the most dangerous of these conditions, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or HIV disease), has only been recognized since 1984.
Many STDs are treatable, but effective cures are lacking for others, such as HIV, HPV, and hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Even gonorrhea, once easily cured, has become resistant to many of the older traditional antibiotics. Many STDs can be present in, and spread by, people who do not have any symptoms of the condition and have not yet been diagnosed with an STD. Therefore, public awareness and education about these infections and the methods of preventing them is important.

There is nothing as “safe” sex. The only truly effective way to prevent STDs is abstinence. Sex in the context of a monogamous relationship wherein neither party is infected with an STD also is considered “safe.” Most people think that kissing is a safe activity. But unfortunately, syphilis, herpes, and other infections can be contracted through this relatively simple and apparently harmless act. All other forms of sexual contact carry some risk. Condoms are commonly thought to protect against STDs (Ebisi, 2012). Condoms are useful in decreasing the spread of certain infections, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea; however, they do not fully protect against other infections such as genital herpes, genital warts, syphilis, and AIDS. Prevention of the spread of STDs is dependent upon the counseling of at-risk individuals and the early diagnosis and treatment of infections.
STDs are infections that are transmitted during any type of sexual contact. Many STDs in women do not cause specific symptoms. Common STDs include Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, genital herpes, and the Zika virus. Antibiotic treatment can cure STDs caused by bacteria, including Chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea. However, syphilis is potentially one of the most controllable disease (STD). HIV is not nearly as transmissible as some other STD’s e.g. hepatics or gonorrhea. It is the cofactors of other STDs that largely explain the infectivity and prevalence of HIV.
Below are type’s sexual transmitted diseases (STDs).

1. Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a bacterial infection caused by the organism Neisseria gonorrhea (also known as gonococcus bacterial) that is transmitted by sexual contact. Gonorrhea is one of the oldest known sexually transmitted diseases. It is estimated that over one million women are currently infected with gonorrhea. Among women who are infected, a significant percentage also will be infected with chlamydia, another type of bacteria that causes another STD. (Chlamydia infection is discussed later in this article.)

Gonorrhea Symptoms
According to Ali & Cleland, (2016) majority of infected victims have no symptoms, especially in the early stages of the infection. When victims do experience signs and symptoms gonorrhea they include
i. burning during urination,
ii. frequent urination,
iii. a yellowish private part discharge,
iv. redness and swelling of the genitals, and
v. private part itching or burning.
If untreated, gonorrhea can lead to a severe pelvic infection with inflammation of the Fallopian tubes and ovaries. Gonorrhea can also spread through the body to infect joints to cause gonococcal arthritis. Gonorrheal infection of the Fallopian tubes can lead to a serious, painful infection of the pelvis known as pelvic inflammatory disease or PID.

2. Chlamydia
Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis) is a bacterium that causes an infection that is very similar to gonorrhea in the way that it is spread and the symptoms it produces. It is common; estimates indicate 2.9 million infections occur annually in the U.S. Like gonorrhea, the chlamydia bacterium is found in the cervix and urethra and can live in the throat or rectum. Both infected men and infected women frequently lack symptoms of chlamydia infection (Erikson, 2009).

Symptoms of Chlamydia
The majority of victims with chlamydia do not have symptoms. Cervicitis (infection of the uterine cervix) is the most common manifestation of the infection. While about half of women with chlamydial cervicitis have no symptoms, others may experience vaginal discharge or abdominal pain. Infection of the urethra is often associated with chlamydial infection of the cervix. Women with infection of the urethra (urethritis) have the typical symptoms of a urinary tract infection, including pain upon urination and the frequent and urgent need to urinate.
Chlamydia is very destructive to the Fallopian tubes. It can also cause severe pelvic infection.
3. Syphilis
Syphilis is an STD that has been around for centuries. It is caused by a bacterial organism called a spirochete. The scientific name for the organism is Treponema pallidum. The spirochete is a wormlike, spiral-shaped organism that wiggles vigorously when viewed under a microscope. It infects the person by burrowing into the moist, mucous-covered lining of the mouth or genitals. The spirochete produces a classic, painless ulcer known as a chancre.

Symptoms of Syphilis
There are three stages of syphilis, along with an inactive (latent) stage. Formation of an ulcer (chancre) is the first stage. The chancre develops any time from 10 to 90 days after infection, with an average time of 21 days following infection until the first symptoms develop. Syphilis is highly contagious when the ulcer is present.
The infection can be transmitted from contact with the ulcer that teems with spirochetes. If the ulcer is outside of the vagina or on the male’s scrotum, condoms may not prevent transmission of the infection by contact.
Tertiary syphilis is also a systemic stage of the disease and can cause a variety of problems throughout the body including:
1. abnormal bulging of the large vessel leaving the heart (the aorta), resulting in heart problems;
2. the development of large nodules (gummas) in various organs of the body;
3. infection of the brain, causing a stroke, mental confusion, meningitis (type of brain infection), problems with sensation, or weakness (neurosyphilis);
4. involvement of the eyes leading to sight deterioration; or
5. involvement of the ears resulting in deafness. The damage sustained by the body during the tertiary stage of syphilis is severe and can even be fatal