Sexually Transmitted Diseases

STD incidence rates remain high in most of the world, despite diagnostic and therapeutic advances that can rapidly render patients with many STDs noninfectious and cure most. In many cultures, changing sexual mores and oral contraceptive use have eliminated traditional sexual restraints, especially for women, and both physicians and patients have difficulty dealing openly and candidly with sexual issues. Funding to control STDs is almost uniformly inadequate. Additionally, worldwide dissemination of drug-resistant bacteria (eg, penicillin-resistant gonococci) reflects misuse of antibiotics and spread of resistant clones by mobile populations. Knowledge is crucial to defend yourself against STDs.