|  Common Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)STDs are much more common than most people realize. Because so many are undiagnosed, experts can only estimate that there are millions of new STD infections among Americans each year in the U.S. STD Data: - There at least 25 different STDs.
- STDs are the most common infectious disease in the US.
- 19 million Americans get a new STD infection each year. 37
- About 9.1 million teens and young adults (aged 15-24) got an STD in 2000. 38
- Most teens do not think they are at risk of an STD. 39
- Teen girls' cervixes are not fully developed and the cells are especially susceptible to STDs. 40
There are three types of STDs: parasitic, bacterial, and viral. Parasitic and bacterial STDs can be cured with medicine. But damage or scars from these infections can be permanent. Some viral STDs never go away. Some viral STDs, like herpes, can be treated to reduce symptoms. Some go away on their own with time. But some viral STDs can never be cured. If treated early, many STDs will not cause lasting damage. But if they are not treated early, STDs can cause many problems. These include sores that come back again and again, some kinds of cancer, damage to the liver, damage to reproductive organs, and weakening of the immune system. Some STDs can cause infertility in females and males. Tell your son or daughter that the more people they have sex with during their lifetime, the more likely they are to get an STD. Tell them the longer they wait to have sex, the less likely they are to get an STD. Better yet, tell them if they wait to have sex until they are married and if their spouse also waits, and they stay faithful to each other, they won't have to worry about getting an STD. Here is a list of some of the most common STDs. To learn more about the STD, please visit the following: Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
Trichomoniasis (Parasite)
Genital Herpes: Herpes Simplex Virus
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Hepatitis B
HIV/AIDS
For more detailed and research based information on STDs and how to prevent STDs, go to http://www.cdc.gov/std and http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/latex.htm. STD Charts  To view a printer friendly version of the following STD Charts, download the PDF.
There are over 25 sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The most common ones are: Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Diseases | Common STDs | Chlamydia | Gonorrhea | Syphilis | Trichomoniasis (Parasite) |
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| Where is it found? | Vagina, cervix, urethra, throat, discharge from penis, and rectum | Vagina, cervix, uterus, urethra, throat, and rectum | Genital area, mouth, skin, anus, and rectum | Vagina, cervix, and urethra |
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| How can it be spread? | Oral, anal, and vaginal sex; mother to child | Oral, anal, and vaginal sex; mother to child | Oral, anal, and vaginal sex; contact with sores; mother to child | Vaginal sex |
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| What are the possible symptoms and complications? | May not have early symptoms, burning or pain with urination, discharge from penis and vagina, chronic low abdomen pain, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility may result (mostly in females) | Males: often have no symptoms; may have burning or pain with urination.
Females: often have no symptoms. May have vaginal discharge, may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or infertility | Painless sore, untreated can spread to brain and/or heart, flu-like symptoms, damage to major body systems if untreated, can cause rash on infants' skin, birth defects and other problems with organs or possible stillbirth | Vaginal discharge and itching, burning during urination, males may have no noticeable symptoms but can cause temporary irritation in penis, may cause early delivery and low birth weight babies |
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| Prevention | Abstain from sex; Faithful marriage or mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; Condoms used correctly and consistently reduce but do not eliminate the risk; Testing and treatment | Abstain from sex; Faithful marriage or mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; Condoms used correctly and consistently reduce but do not eliminate the risk; Testing and treatment | Abstain from sex; Faithful marriage or mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; Condoms used correctly and consistently reduce but do not eliminate the risk; Testing and treatment | Abstain from sex; Faithful marriage or mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; Condoms used correctly and consistently reduce but do not eliminate the risk; Testing and treatment |
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| What are the treatments? | Antibiotics (permanent damage may have occurred prior to treatment) | Antibiotics (permanent damage may have occurred prior to treatment) | Antibiotics (permanent damage may have occurred prior to treatment) | Antibiotics (permanent damage may have occurred prior to treatment) |
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Viral Sexually Transmitted Diseases | Common STDs | Genital Herpes: Herpes Simplex Virus | Human
Papillomavirus
(HPV) | Hepatitis B | HIV/AIDS |
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| Where is it found? | Genitals and/or rectum | Vagina, cervix, penis, vulva, anus, scrotum, and other genital areas | Blood, semen, and vaginal fluid | Blood, semen, cervical and vaginal fluid, and breast milk |
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| How can it be spread? | Oral, anal, and vaginal sex; contact with infected skin; rarely mother to child | Anal and vaginal sex; contact with infected skin; rarely mother to child | Oral, anal, and vaginal sex; IV drug use; mother to child | Oral, anal, and vaginal sex; IV drug use; mother to child |
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| What are the possible symptoms and complications? | Often no symptoms are present, painful blisters or sores, fever, and swollen glands may occur, symptoms can recur throughout life, rarely serious infection can occur when passed to newborns | Most have no symptoms, but some can get genital warts, can cause cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus and penis | Often there are no obvious symptoms, jaundice, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, joint pain, can lead to liver cancer and liver failure | No early symptoms or some flu-like symptoms that are often not noticed, rash, weakens immune system, multiple severe infections |
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| Prevention | Abstain from sex; Faithful marriage or mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; Condoms used correctly and consistently reduce but do not eliminate the risk; Testing and treatment | HPV vaccine (for some strains of HPV); Abstain from sex; Faithful marriage or mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; Condoms used correctly and consistently reduce but do not eliminate the risk | Hepatitis B vaccine; Abstain from sex; Faithful marriage or mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; Do not share needles; Condoms used correctly and consistently reduce but do not eliminate the risk; Testing | Abstain from sex; Faithful marriage or mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner; Do not share needles; Condoms used correctly and consistently reduce but do not eliminate the risk; Testing |
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| What are the treatments? | Symptom control that can help reduce recurrences, but no cure | No cure for infection, but medications can remove visible genital warts. Regular Pap testing and follow-up medical treatment may deter development of cervical cancer. | Chronic infection can be treated with medication. No cure. | Symptom control with AIDS medicines (antiretroviral drugs); Lifetime treatment is required; No cure |
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Sources: Baeten, J.M.; Nyange, PM; Richardson, B.A. "Hormonal contraception and risk of sexually transmitted acquisition. Results from a prospective study, "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2001; 185:380-385. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Fact Sheets. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/std/HealthComm/fact_sheets.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2003. Atlanta, GA: US. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, September 2004. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institute of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Workshop Summary : Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention, June 2000 Available at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf Wald, A; Langengerg, A.G. and Link, K. "Effect of condoms on reducing the transmission of herpes simplex virus type 2 from men to women, "JAMA 2001, 255 3100-3106 Last revised: July 24, 2009 |
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