Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)

Sexually transmitted diseases go by several names in the literature — venereal diseases (VD), reproductive tract infections (RTI), or, most commonly today, sexually transmitted infections (STI) — but they all describe the same thing: infections passed from person to person, typically during intimate sexual contact with an infected partner. A handful of these infections, notably Hepatitis-B and HIV, are not limited to sexual transmission; they can also spread through sharing infusion needles or surgical instruments, through blood transfusion, or from an infected mother to her baby. People aged 15 to 24 are described as especially vulnerable to these infections, which is precisely the age range in which awareness and prevention education matter most. …