New year, new you! If your new year’s resolution is to stay healthy, then you should not neglect one key component: your sexual health. Unlike full-body health checkups, which you may attend once every few years, testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) should occur once every year or more, depending on your sexual activity. You should also get tested if you suspect that you have an STD, especially with symptoms such as pain in the genitalia. You can get tested for STDs at an STD clinic in Singapore, where trained doctors and nurses will help you conduct the tests. Doctors can then provide you with a diagnosis and treat you, if necessary. In Singapore, there are a few STD tests that you should get, as they can be quite easily transmitted between the population here. Below are three STDs that you should be on the lookout for in 2020.
Syphilis
An STD that is caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum, syphilis can have many symptoms, depending on the stage of the infection. At its final tertiary stage, the disease can attack the organs, resulting in death. Syphilis was reported to have a resurgence in 2019, according to a TODAY article titled “Syphilis is not dead: Dating apps, HIV pill, risky sex help push disease to forefront again”, with more than 1,500 syphilis cases reported in the last five years, according to health authorities. The risk of syphilis is especially high between people who engage in risky sex, particularly in men who have sex with men. Sometimes, syphilis does not show any symptoms for a period of time, and so transmission may occur without an individual even feeling ill. The best way to ensure you don’t have syphilis is to get tested. For people at risk, it is recommended that you get tested for STDs twice a year.
Chlamydia
Many call chlamydia the silent disease because its early symptoms often go unnoticed. This is why chlamydia can be transmitted to many people – most of the people with chlamydia would not even know that they have the disease. However, when symptoms begin to develop, chlamydia could cause serious damage to the body’s reproductive system, perhaps to the point of making the patient unable to bear children. This can happen to patients of both sexes. Chlamydia is also spread easily, as any contact with an infected mucous membrane such as the vagina, urethra, mouth or rectum. Fortunately, chlamydia can be easily cured with oral antibiotics. You simply need to get an STD test in Singapore regularly, especially if you show its symptoms, such as pain while peeing or while having sex.
Herpes
Herpes is an STD caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and its main symptom is blisters that appear around the patient’s mouth, lips or genitalia. It is considered a “common STD” by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Because there is no medication to cure the herpes virus, most patients here with these symptoms receive treatment from STD clinics to relief the symptoms instead. Herpes is generally not life-threatening, but seeing an STD doctor about symptoms of herpes could make living with the virus much easier.
Conclusion
These three prominent STDs are worth looking out for due to how easily they spread. Should you experience any of the symptoms described above, call Elyon Clinic at 6802 7208 to book an appointment for an STD test.
