hpv is the number 1 sexually transmitted disease in sub-saharan africa.
what is the number 1 sexually transmitted disease in sub-saharan africa?
hpv
many activists have drawn attention to possible stigmatization of those testing as hiv positive. this is due to many factors such as a lack of understanding of the disease, lack of access to treatment, the media, knowing that aids is incurable, and prejudices brought on by a cultures beliefs. "when hiv/aids became a global disease, african leaders played ostrich and said that it was a gay disease found only in the west and africans did not have to worry because there were no gays and lesbians in africa". africans were blind to the already huge epidemic that was infesting their communities. the belief that only homosexuals could contract the diseases was later debunked as the number of heterosexual couples living with hiv increased. unfortunately there were other rumors being spread by elders in cameroon. these "elders speculated that hiv/aids was a sexually transmitted disease passed on from fulani women only to non-fulani men who had sexual contact with them. they also claimed if a man was infected as a result of having sexual contact with a fulani woman, only a fulani healer could treat him". this communal belief is shared by many other african cultures who believe that hiv and aids originated from women. because of this belief that men can only get hiv from women many "women are not free to speak of their hiv status to their partners for fear of violence". in general hiv carries a negative stigma in sub-saharan africa. unfortunately this stigma makes it very challenging for sub-saharan africans to share that they have hiv because they are afraid of being an outcast from their friends and family. in every sub-saharan community hiv is seen as the bringer of death. the common belief is that once you have hiv you are destined to die. people seclude themselves based on these beliefs. they don't tell their family and live with guilt and fear because of hiv. however, there is a way to treat hiv and aids the problem is that many are just not aware of how hiv is spread or what effects it has on the body. "80.8% of participants would not sleep in the same room as someone who was hiv positive, while 94.5% would not talk to someone who was hiv positive".
hiv/aids in africa
there are many different forms on prevention of syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases in general. prevention of syphilis includes avoiding contact of bodily fluids with an infected person. this can be particularly difficult because syphilis is usually transmitted by people who are unaware that they have the disease because they do not have any visible sores or rashes that may denote having an infection in general. being abstinent or having mutually monogamous sex with a person who is uninfected with any type of sexually transmitted disease is the greatest guarantee of not becoming infected with syphilis or any form of a sexually transmitted disease. using latex condoms can however reduce the risk of obtaining syphilis. in order to prevent further contamination to other individuals, benzathine penicillin is given to any contacts. washing, douching, or urinating cannot prevent the transmission of a sexually transmitted disease in general.
meningeal syphilis