Lecture Notes

STI infection has its share of consequences for women, men, and infants. STI infection and the presence of other STIs increase the likelihood of transmission and acquiring HIV. Someone infected with another STI has two to five times more likelihood to be infected with HIV. In addition, susceptibility to HIV is increased with the presence of other STIs. The likelihood of a dually infected person, someone with HIV and an STI, infecting other people with HIV is also increased. Untreated STIs have serious consequences. It can result in infertility and sterility. For example, untreated pelvic inflammatory disease causes 10-15 percent of women's infertility. It also can cause ectopic pregnancy and miscarriages for women. Untreated STIs can also lead to blindness, cancer, and heart disease, and death. There is also an astronomical cost to STIs. The direct cost for STIs is over 16 billion dollars annually and that number does not include indirect nonmedical costs, such as lost wages and productivity due to illness, out-of-pocket expenses, and the costs related to STI transmission to infants.