Who Is More Susceptible to Acquiring an STD?

Sexually transmitted diseases, or more commonly known as STDs, are posing a potential danger to human society. STDs have affected millions of people all across the globe. An STD can be fatal- like HIV AIDS or it can disrupt the social and the personal life of the affected person. Early detection of certain STDs can lead to timely treatment and hence the cure. But because of the stigma attached to the STDs, people most often shy away from getting themselves tested. Almost 340 million adults have been infected by STDs other than HIV AIDS since 1999. But do STDs affect everyone equally? Or are there certain people who are more susceptible to STDs than others? Apparently yes. According to the statistics, there are a few factors pertaining to the life style of the person or their geographical location that make them more prone to be infected by a certain STD. However, many of these factors are camouflaged by certain myths, making them even more dangerous. We may first look at the geographical spread of STDs. The avert.org/std-statistics.htm gives the data for the year 1999 for the estimated prevalence and annual incidence of curable STDs by region. North America recorded 14 million cases out of a 156 million in adult population. For Western Europe it was 17 million cases from the population of 203 million. For North Africa & Middle East it was 10 million cases out of 165 million. Eastern Europe & Central Europe recorded 22 million cases out of 205 million. Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 69 million cases from the 269 million populations. The maximum numbers of cases have been reported from South & Southeast Asia - 151 million cases from the population of 955 million. East Asia & Pacific recorded 18 million cases from the 815 million populations. Thus we know how globally the STDs are positioned. There are several other factors that make some people more easily prone to be infected by an STD than the others, the most important of these being people who indulge in unprotected sex. Using a barrier protection like a condom considerably reduces the chances of contracting an infection. Also, people who have more than one frequent sexual partner are obviously at the highest risk of being infected by an STD. Even the ones who indulge in "serial monogamy" - having one sexual partner at a time, but several in succession, are prone to being contracted by STDs. Other than these, people under the age of 25 or on the early age of sexual onset are an easy target for an STD. Alcohol too can lead a person to an STD, not directly but indirectly as under the influence of alcohol one may not be the best judge as to have sex with whom or the usage of condom can be forgotten or easily avoided if one is intoxicated. Trading sex for money or drugs is another leading cause of STDs. Most of places recording the highest prevalence of STDs are among prostitutes. Also, if you live in a community with a high prevalence of STDs, you are more likely to be exposed to an STD any time you have sex. Furthermore, statistics explain that women are more prone to be infected by an STD than men as their anatomy is more prone to infection in general. Thus we now know how a few people are more susceptible to acquiring an STD than others. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6950857