The doctor said when to look for sexually transmitted diseases: if a person does not feel anything, it does not mean that the infection is not

The World Health Organization estimates that each year more than 300 million people are diagnosed worldwide. sexually transmitted infections. According to experts, these diseases are very common because they are transmitted through genital, oral and anal intercourse, regardless of whether the relationship is heterosexual or homosexual.

It is also possible to get infected again.

Syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia are probably the best-known and most common sexually transmitted infections caused by bacteria that can be completely cured. Other viral infections, also known, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), herpes virus infection, human papillomavirus (HPV) can be controlled by inhibiting its progression.

According to Algirdas Šumila, dermatovenerologist and head of the Department of Dermatovenerological Counseling at Clinicas Santara, sexually transmitted infections do not always develop immunity, which means that the same infection can be contracted again.

“Each disease has a different incubation stage, that is, from infection until the person begins to feel something. But there is still so much curiosity: sometimes those diseases come and the person does not feel anything, and after a certain period of incubation already becomes a source of infection by which you can become infected.

These infections do not always result in immunity and possible reinfection. Therefore, this diagnosis and adequate treatment are important ”, emphasizes A. Šumila.

According to the doctor, the treatment of each infection is individual. The test can tell if it is one or more bacteria. In the case of a bacterial infection, one course of treatment may be sufficient. However, if a viral infection is detected, both long-term and intermittent treatment may be necessary to suppress the immune system, as viruses in the body tend to linger and appear at certain times.

For example, if a person has the HIV virus, they must take medicine every day to lower the levels of the virus in the body so that it is no longer detectable. Therefore, the virus is suppressed and is not transmitted to other people.

When to check?

According to the dermatovenerologist, one should worry about the possibility of infection if one or another change in the body is observed after a certain period of time after unprotected sexual intercourse.

“It just came to our attention then. If a person did not have a discharge, it was a urethral discharge, a foreskin discharge, increased female discharge, non-cyclical bleeding, lower abdominal pain, or post-emergency pain, or a bleeding. no. Sometimes a person thinks he could freeze. Maybe. But he still has to decide or think about a specific case after the investigation “, the doctor names the signs when he must go to a health care institution.

It is important to mention that each sexually transmitted infection also has a different incubation period, so if the test is done immediately after unsafe sexual intercourse, the pathogen may not be detected.

“There is an incubation period. Gonorrhea (ranges in days, two days, one week, two weeks, chlamydia infection) counts in weeks, two, three, four. Syphilis incubation period: three weeks to three months. These are the stages during which any good test may miss the causative agent, as it may be asleep. The fact that a person does not feel anything does not mean that there is no infection, ”says A. Šumila.

The pandemic had an unexpected impact

According to Algirdas Šumila, statistically, Lithuania looks pretty good in terms of sexually transmitted infections. Last year there were 56 cases of syphilis, 32 cases of gonorrhea, 175 cases of chlamydia and 108 cases of HIV last year, almost double the number in 2016.

The dermatovenerologist also attributes a significant reduction in the incidence of infections to the limitations of the coronavirus pandemic. As the doctor himself says, the statistics are excellent compared to the post-war period or the 1990s. The doctor emphasizes that while the situation is not bad at the moment, there is now an increase in the morbidity curve in the US Therefore, sexually transmitted infections have not disappeared anywhere and it is possible that the wave of new cases do not overlook Lithuania.

However, prevention begins with each person’s responsibility and understanding how they live their sex life. The doctor shares a recent experience of how the dangers that lurk are sometimes forgotten.

“A boy came with the premise that he already knows what he has because he came back after the holidays, they were, he says, as appropriate, it was everything: both rest and non-rest, and relationships of all kinds, and sometimes I don’t remember if they were really safe. Proof that they were really dangerous: profuse secretions. Internet is almighty, it says: I have gonorrhea. We investigated, well, really the infection that is transmitted during a relationship. When we start talking about when it could have been, he says, during the holidays. Practically every day there was a new relationship; I didn’t know if they were always safe. Therefore, I could not say when he contracted the infection, if from the first day of vacation or since the last, I could not and again there is the possibility that he transmitted it to someone, shared it ”, says A. Šumila about the practice labor.

Practical protection of condoms against infection: 85 percent.

The doctor reminds you to check the arrival when there are visible signs. According to A. Šumila, young people are the most sexually active age group and these diseases are the most common in this age group. According to the doctor, more frequent partner changes automatically lead to an increased risk of infection. Therefore, when a sexually transmitted infection is detected, potential partners should also be informed so that the chain of infection does not continue. Epidemiologists are doing the same to control the chain of transmission of the coronavirus.

“Statistics indicate that there are more frequent partner changes among men. Relatively, women are more sedentary and have fewer partner changes. Like condoms, it seems that a person uses condoms correctly and uses them, but the Using that device is not one hundred percent protection. The theoretical effectiveness of condoms is 98 percent that it will protect, and the practical efficiency is 85 percent. There is a limit to that.

Some people think that oral relations are safe, that they are not contagious at all, unfortunately they are very wrong. And during oral sex, unfortunately, all bacteria are transmitted, “warned A. Šumila.

So how do you protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases? It all depends on the conscience of the people themselves. The doctor says that abstinence will certainly protect against any possible infection, but at the same time he understands that in practice this is almost impossible.

However, the maintenance of monogamous sex, protection measures and education are successful prevention measures. According to the interlocutor, it would also be ideal for partners to screen for possible infections before the relationship. According to a dermatovenerologist, sexual health is in the hands of the people themselves.

According to A. Šumila, the possibilities of vaccines to control certain infections, such as hepatitis B, the human papillomavirus, should also be expanded.

As the doctor reiterates, although a reduction in the number of sexually transmitted infections is now visible, practice shows that there is an increase after each low tide. You can prepare for this in advance. According to the specialist, it is necessary not only to act responsibly, but also to make the public aware of this issue more broadly.