The Killer Cells

Have you turned on the news recently? Chances are all you have heard about are the presidential elections, the deadly storms that are dropping record amounts of tornadoes, or about the tragedy in Myanmar. Well what about Sexually Transmitted Diseases, formally known as STDs? When was the last time you heard someone discuss these rapidly spreading diseases that cause more controversy than the St. Paul's Craig "bobble-foot" dolls. Where did they develop from, who is at risk, and are they curable?

STDs have no known form of origin, but have terrorized countries for centuries. In fact, some of the earliest recorded cases of a particularly serious disease, Gonorrhea, were reported in 2200 B.C. Now, two thousand years later, there are over twenty-five types of diseases that can be imparted to our bodies through sexual contact. Scientists have attempted to find explanations for these occurrences. An early discovery has traced certain diseases to monkeys indigenous to West Africa. The White-collared monkey, for instance, has thought to produce Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, or SIV, which correlates to one of the two types of HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus. As of the early 1980s, HIV is proven to cause AIDS, thus linking monkeys to AIDS.

While that may explain the HIV/AIDS mystery, where are the roots of the other STDs located? How deep are we going to have to dig? According to recent studies, most STDs develop from cells already in our bodies that mutate in time. These diseases may mask their true identity in certain parts of the body, such as the mouth. Herpes sores, most commonly known as cold sores, are a strain of the Herpes virus that take refuge at the roof of your mouth or corners of your lips. This type of virus is not life threatening, but if sexual contact is made with another person experiencing the same sores, trouble could be on the horizon.

It is no secret that Sexually Transmitted Diseases are communicable, this is as plain as day. In the United States alone, transferring semen and vaginal secretions amongst each partner can spread 85% of most infectious diseases internally, however, mixing blood and swapping saliva also play a pivotal role. There have been questions about kissing, and can STDs be spread from this method of affection. If there are any cuts or sores in one or both partner's mouths, and one or more partners have an STD, the germs and cells could pass to the opening of the cut, thus infecting that person.

I'm sure you remember all those lectures about not sharing needles, but this is critical. There is a higher chance of contracting an STD if the needle is dirty, or multiple people have used it, especially if one of the users has tested positive for an STD.

At a worldwide stance, STDs are prevalent in almost every landmass that humans inhabit. Leading the way is India; with currently three to five million people suffering from HIV and other STDs. Unfortunately 89% of those infected in India are younger than forty years old.

Every year at least 400 million adults become infected with an STD across six continents. The diseases that make up those 400 million cases are: Trichomoniasis, Syphilis, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea. These four are the only one hundred percent curable diseases and account for 80% of the globe's sum.

On the HIV front, The United Nations has predicted that over twenty million people are HIV-positive in the Sub-Saharan area of Africa. Along with that, there is an even more disturbing fact. Everyday nearly 16,000 people are given the news that they have HIV, and most cases progress to full-blown AIDS. However, of these thousands infected, women and children exemplify high amounts of people living with HIV. In fact, around 36% of prognoses of HIV occur in women and young adults. More bad news about AIDS was recently reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They have stated that there are more new cases of Americans infected with HIV than previously believed. About 56,000 people became infected with HIV in the United States in the past year, which translates to about 40 percent more cases than officials had estimated.

Women, especially those ages 15 to 44, have particularly perturbing life sentences from STDs. Each year diseases such as Syphilis, Chlamydia, HIV, and especially Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, or PID, destroy nearly six percent of otherwise healthy years; as a result, these women are put in the ground earlier than expected. Across the globe, the percentages rise to a total of 51 million healthy years lost, mostly due to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

Perhaps more serious is our nation's rate of STDs discovered in teenagers, mainly from 16 to 19 years of age. Nowadays it is not considered cool if you do not have sex as a teenager, especially during those turbulent high school years. However, people heeding these unhealthy words are paying the consequences, and probably will for the rest of their lives. In the United States alone, there are so many teenagers sexually active that every 1 in 4 will contract an STD at least once throughout their lifetime. A scary detail related to this fact rears its ugly head constantly, and this is that 80% of teenagers never seek medical attention for an STD they may have. This is because most STDs go unnoticed due to unrecognizable symptoms and, especially with Hepatitis B, Herpes, and Gonorrhea. 87% of teenage girls do not experience any symptoms with the diseases listed above.
The HPV infection was noticeable in 6.2 million people, of which 74% percent were teenagers in the year 2000. This goes along with a 46% chance of contracting HPV in teenage girls, just from their first sexual contact. Recent studies have shown that nearly 50% of girls, ages 18 to 22, who were sexually active, now have HPV, or HIV. What are we doing about these statistics? Are we going to let this problem grow until infections become a worldwide epidemic?

Globally, there are things we can do, such as setting up sex education programs, provide federal funding for advertising contraceptives, and holding private screenings for anyone suspected of having an STD. In 2004, President George W. Bush requested nine million dollars in funds for the CDC in hopes of helping evolve efforts in HIV prevention seminars. The CDC has also developed Syphilis elimination programs that have reduced the overall percentage of sufferers with Syphilis. In accordance with this, in the near future there will be Syphilis screening stations in jails, prisons, and emergency departments, as well as other established residences.
Following the call by the President, he also donated $39 million dollars in 2006 for abstinence programs to be taught in our schools, with the goal of reaching the minds of our younger generation. The United States is not the only country trying to get a handle on the spread of STDs. The British Medical Association says one of the only ways to reduce percentages of infections is more advanced screening, with emphasis on cheaper and faster ways of protection. In my opinion, every country needs to take these actions.

As for the fight against AIDS in the African nations goes, people are still suffering and will keep suffering until the United States and many other countries help fund and produce solutions for this problem. There needs to be medical buildings where people can go to seek help and treatment. But all of this still won't do the trick unless we prevent the spread of these diseases in the first place. Schools are now teaching students about safe sex practices and STDs at a younger age, and are requiring that teenagers take health classes or witness STD prevention videos, as well as listening to people with illnesses related to sexual acts.

Along with using condoms and other contraceptives in every sexual act, abstinence is something that everyone needs to promote, whether you're a doctor, teacher, mentor, or a parent. If more people got through to teenagers about abstinence practices, we may not have a global outbreak of STDs. Abstinence is obviously the solution for prevention, but what about the moral standards. This nation was founded on religion, and the Bible says not to have sex until marriage, that sex is a symbol of love shared by two people in the bond of holy matrimony. If people actually followed this guideline, there would be a reduction of STD cases, our world wouldn't be on the verge of a pandemic, and less teenage girls telling their mothers they are pregnant. It amazes me how many people have lost their morals, or don't even contain any, especially on tender subjects. Sex is a huge issue, and I believe we have produced STD panics on our own; this is not the work of God or some other force in nature. So now it is our responsibility to fix it. Promoting safe and moral behavior from childhood on, in the home and with our families is a good place to start.

Advameg Inc. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases." [Online] July 8, 2008. http://www.faqs.org/health/Sick-V4/Sexually-Transmitted-Diseases.html.

Epigee.org. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases." [Online] July 14, 2008. http://www.epigee.org/guide/stds.html.

CNN. "More Americans HIV-Positive than Previously Believed." [Online] Aug 23, 2008. http://www.cnn.com/2008/Health/conditions/08/02/hiv/cdc.

Guttmacher Institute. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases Hamper Development Efforts." [Online] July 29, 2008. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/ib_std.html.

Haeruns, Margaret. Opposing Viewpoints, Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Nasso, Christine, 2006 Thomas Gale.