STD’S are a problem that many of today’s youth are faced with. They are a real threat to our society. STD’s consist of any disease that is acquired primarily through sexual contact. They are infectious diseases that spread from person-to-person through contact with infected bodily fluids. In this, you will be exposed to two of the more common threats in the world of STD’s. (However, there are several more.) Clamidia is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STD’S) of our time caused by a bacterium know as Chlamydia trachomatis, which if left untreated for long can damage the reproductive organs. Symptoms may often times go unnoticed because they are usually mild or none at all. Un-reparable damages can be caused silently before the condition is even noticed, such as infertility. It’s very important to get a yearly physical and get tested to ensure your health. Most of the time there are never any symptoms at all in men. Here is an interesting and very frightening statistic for everyone: between the years of 1987 and 2004 reported cases of clamidia jumped from 50.8 to 319.6 cases per 100,000 population! Some methods fore treatment for clamidia include: • Azithromycin • Doxycycline • Erythromycin ethylsuccinate • Ofloxacin *Chlamydia is one of the most easily treated STD’S. These medications, when taken correctly will eliminate the disease 99.9% of the time. (These medications must be prescribed by your practicing physician.) See a doctor if you have questions. A current threat to the youth of today is another STD by the name of hepatitis. Hepatitis is a rather more serious one however. Hepititus is inflammation of the liver that is caused by a virus. The result in contracting this one can almost certainly lead to death in many cases! There are five different types of viral hepatitis. They include but are not limited to: hepatitus A, B, & C. Also know as HAV, HAB, & HAC. These are merely the most common forms of the disease. However, the only one of these that is an STD is hepititus B. All others have alternate forms of infecting. HBV HBV can survive outside the body at least 7 days and still be capable of transmitting infection. The symptoms for all three types of viral hepatitis are much the same. Symptoms are much more predominant in adults than in infected children. If symptoms do occur, they usually include: • Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) • Tiredness • nausea • dark urine • clay-colored bowel movements • loss of appetite • abdominal discomfort Some of the treatment medication that can be used to treat this disease include: • Acyclovir (Zovirax) • Famciclovir (Famvir) • Valacyclovir (Valtrex) *These statements are merely facts that have been gathered. They are in no way a substitute to seeing a physician. If you have any doubts, see a doctor immediately. If you have been promiscuous in the past and have not been tested within the last 6 months, it is strongly suggested to do so. Jenny Smith