Let’s talk STIs

One reason STIs are on the rise is that people think they can only be infected if they have sexual intercourse. That’s wrong. You can get some STIs, like herpes or genital warts, through skin-to-skin contact with an infected area or sore.

Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, a sexual health consultant at Disa Clinic, says: “STI risk is not only about penis-vagina sex, but also includes oral and anal sex. This is why it’s important to continue using a barrier, like a condom, even if one is taking a contraceptive. This is because the viruses or bacteria that cause STIs can enter the body through tiny cuts or tears in the mouth and anus, as well as the genitals.”

It’s important to note that STIs spread easily and you can’t tell whether someone has an infection or not. Some people with STIs don’t even know that they have them. These people are in danger of passing on an infection to their sex partners without even realising it. “What’s scary is that about 70% of women and 50% of men don’t have any symptoms while being afflicted with an STI,” Dr Aspeling says.

Viral infections can be silent and some infections have very long incubation periods, says Dr Mofokeng. “People are embarrassed to seek help. There are not many sexual health clinics in the private sector. The public sector clinics do not always offer screening tests and are focused mainly on syndromic management (treating the symptoms rather than a specific disease) of active disease,” she adds.

There are many infections a woman can get in her genital area. Germs that live in or on a person’s genitals cause these diseases. These germs can be passed from one person to another during sex. Mclntosh unpacks the symptoms of, and treatments for, some common STIs: There are two types of the herpes virus: herpes 1 and 2. One out of six adults and adolescents has had Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (genital herpes). Like the human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes is difficult to diagnose without visible sores, and many people have no symptoms. The infection is more common in women than men.

In women, the genital areas most commonly affected are the vulva and the vaginal opening. Sores can sometimes also develop on the cervix. In men, sores are most common on the glans (end of the penis), the foreskin and shaft of the penis. Sometimes sores can develop on the testicles.

In heterosexual penetrative intercourse, a man is more likely to pass it on to his female partner if the virus is active.

Genital herpes is manageable, with a number of treatments offering effective relief from symptoms. It is estimated that three million cases occur annually. Chlamydia infections are under-reported as approximately