HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiencey Virus.  It is the virus that causes AIDS.  AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

HIV can be transmitted through the blood, sexual fluids, or breast milk of an HIV-infected person. People can get HIV if one of these fluids enters the body and into the bloodstream. The disease can be passed during unprotected sex with a HIV-infected person. An HIV-infected mother can transmit HIV to her infant during pregnancy, delivery or while breastfeeding. People can also become infected with HIV when using injection drugs through sharing needles and other equipment.

Over time, infection with HIV can weaken the immune system to the point that the system has difficulty fighting off certain infections. These types of infections are known as opportunistic infections. These infections are usually controlled by a healthy immune system, but they can cause problems or even be life-threatening in someone with AIDS. The immune system of a person with AIDS has weakened to the point that medical intervention may be necessary to prevent or treat serious illness.

A blood test can determine if a person is infected with HIV, but if a person tests positive for HIV, it does not necessarily mean that the person has AIDS.  A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician according to the CDC AIDS Case Definition.  A person infected with HIV may receive an AIDS diagnosis after developing one of the CDC-defined AIDS indicator illnesses. A person with HIV can also receive an AIDS diagnosis on the basis of certain blood tests (CD4 counts) and may not have experienced any serious illnesses.

Symptoms:
The only way to tell you have HIV is be tested for the virus. You cannot rely on symptoms to tell if you or someone you know is infected. The symptoms of HIV are similar to many other illnesses and many people have no symptoms at all.

Treatment:

Is curently treatable but not curable

Chancroid is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease (or STD), but it is curable. It is caused by a bacteria called Haemophilus Ducreyi (or H. Ducreyi). Chancroid causes ulcers or sores, usually of the genitals. Swollen, painful lymph glands in the groin area are often associated with chancroid. Left untreated, chancroid may make the transmission of HIV easier.

Symptoms

• Symptoms usually occur within 10 days from exposure. They rarely develop earlier than three days or later than 10 days.
• The ulcer or sore begins as a tender, elevated bump, or papule that becomes a pus-filled, open sore with eroded or ragged edges.
• It is soft to the touch (unlike a syphilis chancre that is hard or rubbery). The term soft chancre is frequently used to describe the chancroid sore.
• The ulcers can be very painful in men, but women are often unaware of them.
• Because chancroid is often asymptomatic in women, they are often unaware that they are infected.
• Painful lymph glands (or lymph nodes) may occur in the groin, usually only on one side of the body. However, they can sometimes occur on both the left and right sides.

Treatment:

Chancroid can be treated with antibiotics. Successful treatment does three things:
• It cures infection.
• It resolves symptoms (or causes them to disappear).
• It prevents transmission.

Chlamydia is a common and curable infection caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. The bacteria target the cells of the mucous membranes, which are the soft, moist tissues of the body not covered by skin.

• Symptoms: 75% of women and 50% of men do not experience symptoms. So, most people who are infected with this bacteria will not be able to tell it from symptoms.
• For Females symptoms may include:
  vaginal discharge, or
  burning sensation during urination.
• For Males symptoms may include:
  pus (thick yellow-white fluid) or watery or milky discharge from the penis
  pain or burning during urination
  pain or swelling of the testicles

Treatment: There are antibiotic treatments that are effective in treating chlamydia.

Crabs, or pubic lice, is an infestation of crab-like parasites that attach themselves to pubic hair and other course hair on the body. While the scientific name for the parasite is Pthirus pubis and the scientific name for the condition is Pediculus Pubis, both are referred to as crabs. Although crabs come from the same family of parasites as head and body lice, they are not the same thing.
While crabs need blood to survive, they can live up to 24 hours off a human body.
Crabs have three very distinct phases:
• The first phase is the egg, or nit.
• The second phase is the nymph, or immature form of the adult.
• The third phase is the louse, or adult crab.

In the United States, there are an estimated 3 million cases of crabs every year.

Symptoms:
• The most common symptom of crabs is itching in the pubic area. This itching is caused by an allergic reaction to the bites, and usually starts about five days after a person gets crabs.
• Crabs are small parasites that resemble crabs you see on the beach. They may be whitish-gray or rust colored. A person may be able to see individual crabs by looking closely or using a magnifying glass.
• A person may also notice crab eggs, or nits, attached to the base of the hair (close to where it comes out of your body). Nits are small, oval-shaped and pearl-like in color.
• Dark or bluish spots can appear and last for several days in the infested area; these are also a result of the bites.
• Crabs are usually found in the pubic area. However, crabs can also be found in the armpits, eyelashes, beard/mustache and other course hair. Sometimes, though rarely, crabs are found in the hair on a person's head.

Treatment:

There are creams and shampoos that will kill the lice contact your local health aide.

• Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD), which is also known as "the clap." It is a curable infection caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoea.
• The bacteria targets the cells of the mucous membranes including:
the surfaces of the urethra, vagina, cervix and endometrium
the fallopian tubes
the anus and rectum
the lining of the eyelid
and the throat.

Symptoms will appear in Men quite rapidly, 3-5 days most women never know they have the disease.

• Yellowish-white discharge from the penis
• Burning or pain when urinating
• Urinating more often than usual
• Pain or swelling of the testicles

Treatment:

There are antibiotic treatments that are effective in treating gonorrhea.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by a group of viruses. There are five major types of viral hepatitis:

The hepatitis B and C viruses can infect a person if his or her mucous membranes or blood are exposed to an infected person's blood, saliva, semen, or vaginal secretions.

Symptoms:

When hepatitis viruses damage liver cells, scar tissue is formed and those cells can no longer function. With fewer healthy liver cells, the body begins to show symptoms ranging from mild (such as fatigue) to more severe symptoms (such as mental confusion).

Treatment:

There are treatments to releive the symptoms but hepatitis. The treatment will depend on the type of hepatitis you have. There is also a vaccine against it that is very effective if taken before you are exposed to the viruse

A virus causes herpes--either herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) or herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2). As with all viruses, there is no cure for herpes. It is different from other common viral infections because once it is introduced it lives in the body over a lifetime, often without symptoms or with periodic symptoms. This is called "latency." The virus can travel the nerve pathways in a part of the body and hide away, sleeping, in the nerve roots for long periods of time. Even though HSV may not cause "cold sores" or genital signs or symptoms at the moment, it can still cause symptoms later.

Symptoms: One or more sores, blisters, cuts, pimples, bumps or a rash
• Itching, burning or tingling in the genital area
• Aches or pains in the genital area
• Flu-like symptoms (headache, fever, swollen glands in lymph nodes near groin)
• Painful urination and a discharge (vaginal or penile) are possible, but uncommon, symptoms for genital herpes
• Many people have outbreaks that heal quickly, cause no pain or occur in an unnoticeable spot. People sometimes mistake herpes outbreaks for:

- Insect bites  
- Jock itch
- Yeast infections
- Ingrown hair follicles
- Abrasions or razor burn
- Hemorrhoids

Treatment: Currently, there is no treatment to cure herpes. There are medications that can be taken to deal with the symptoms.

In the United States, HPV is considered to be the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD). Some studies estimate that the majority of the sexually active population is exposed to at least one or more types of HPV - although most do not develop symptoms. Because HPV is so common and prevalent, a person does not need have to have a lot of sexual partners to come into contact with this virus.

Symptoms:
Only certain types of HPV cause genital warts. Other types, not related to genital warts, can cause abnormal cell changes on the genital skin, usually on a female's cervix. Genital warts appear as growths or bumps. Warts may be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large. They tend to be flesh-colored or whitish in appearance. Warts usually do not cause itching or burning.

Treatment:

• Cryotherapy (freezing off the wart with liquid nitrogen). This can be relatively inexpensive, but must be done by a trained doctor or nurse.
• Podophyllin (a chemical compound that must be applied by a doctor or nurse). This is an older treatment and is not as widely used today.
• TCA (trichloracetic acid) is another chemical applied to the surface of the wart by a doctor or a nurse.
• Cutting off warts. This has the advantage of getting rid of warts in a single office visit
• Electrocautery (burning off warts with an electrical current)
• Laser therapy (using an intense light to destroy warts).This is used for larger or extensive warts, especially those that have not responded well to other treatments. Laser can also cost a lot of money. Most doctors do not have lasers in their office and the doctor must be well-trained with this method.
• Interferon (a substance injected in to the wart). This is rarely used anymore due to extensive side effects and high cost. Less expensive therapies work just as well with fewer side effects.

Scabies is an infestation of the top layer of skin caused by the parasite, Sarcoptes scabiei, often called scabies or mites. The female parasite burrows under the skin and begins laying eggs within a few hours of infection and continues to lay 2 to 3 eggs daily. It takes approximately 10 days for the eggs to hatch and become adult mites. At this point, the cycle will begin again.

Symptoms:
• Persistent itching that usually becomes worse at night.

• Presence of the mite burrow(s), often in a zigzag or "S" pattern.
• Presence of lesions, such as brown nodules, rashes, or pimple-like irritations.
Common sites of infestation are: webs and sides of fingers and toes, pubic and groin area, armpits, bends of elbows and knees, wrists, navel, breasts, lower portion of buttocks, penis and scrotum, waist and abdomen; rarely, they are found on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet and the neck upward.

Treatment:

There are creams and shampoos that will kill scabies.

Syphilis is a curable infection caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum.
• The bacteria enter the body through mucous membranes or abraded skin.
• Once inside the body, syphilis enters the blood stream and attaches to cells, damaging organs over time.
• There are four stages through which untreated syphilis progresses, each stage with its own unique signs and symptoms:

primary
secondary latent
tertiary (or late)

Symptoms:

The primary stage of syphilis is usually marked by the appearance of a single sore, known as a chancre, within 10 to 90 days after contact with the bacteria at the site of infection.
It is usually appears as a single, painless sore, that is raised or elevated.
Chancres may be found: outside the genitals, including the penis, scrotum and vagina inside the vagina or rectum at or around the anus on the lips or in the mouth, though this is not as common.

The sore can last from one to five weeks and will go away by itself.
The chancre will go away with or without treatment. Without treatment, the person will still have syphilis and can transmit it to others.

Treatments:

• The preferred treatment for syphilis is penicillin. If you are allergic to penicillin, your health care provider can suggest another antibiotic.

Vaginitis is a name for swelling, itching, burning or infection in the vagina that can be caused my several different germs. The most common kinds of vaginitis are bacterial vaginosis (BV) and yeast, a fungus. Sometimes trichomoniasis (trich, pronounced "trick") is called vaginitis too. Trichomoniasis is caused by a parasitic protozoa called Trichomonas vaginalis.

This covers the yeast infection.

Symptoms:
• thick, white "cottage cheese" discharge
• pain, itching, burning, or redness around the vagina
• a smell like baking bread

treatment:

Antifugal cream

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