How a Condom Could Save Your Life

How a Condom Could Save Your Life

Activities

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?Article # 1

Part A

How a Condom Could Save Your Life

Reprinted from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

This article is to help you understand why it's important to use condoms (rubbers, prophylactics) to help reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. These diseases include genital herpes, AIDS, chlamydia, genital warts, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, and syphilis. You can get them through having sex -- vaginal, anal, or oral.

The surest way to avoid these diseases is to not have sex altogether (abstinence). Another way is to limit sex to one partner who also limits his or her sex in the same way (monogamy). Condoms are not 100% safe, but if used properly, will reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS.

Protecting yourself against the AIDS virus is of special concern because this disease is fatal and has no cure.

About two-thirds of the people with AIDS in the United States got the disease during sexual intercourse with an infected partner. Experts believe that many of these people could have avoided the disease by using condoms.

Condoms are used for both birth control birth and reducing the risk of disease. That's why some people think that other forms of birth control -- such as the IUD, diaphragm, cervical cap or pill -- will protect them against diseases, too. But that's not true. If you use any other form of birth control, you still need a condom in addition to reduce the risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases.

A condom is especially important when an uninfected pregnant woman has sex, because it can also help protect her and her unborn child from a sexually transmitted disease.

Note well: Condoms are not 100% safe, but if used properly, will reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS.

Reprinted from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Two language activities to check how much you´ve understood:

Activity A: True or False

1.- The article explains the cure of aids. True False

2.- Abstinence helps you to avoid the sexually transmitted diseases(STD) True False

3.- Monogamy is not to have sex altogether. True False

4.- Condoms are a 100% safe. True False

5.- AIDS cannot be cured. True False

6.- Many people get the illness during sexual intercourse with an

Infected partner True False

7.- Only by using condoms can you reduce the risk of getting STDs True False

8.- Other forms of birth control (like IVD)can help you avoid AIDS. True False

Activity 2: Match words in columns A and B to make meaningful sentences

A B

1.- When an uninfected pregnant woman has sex a.- reduce the risk of getting AIDS.

2.- Sexually transmitted diseases b.- is not to have sex.

3.- The surest way to avoid these diseases c.- are forms of birth control.

4.- Condoms are a 100% safe d.- a condom can protect her and her

unborn child from STDs .

5.- Condoms e.- is to limit sex to one partner

6.- Condoms, IVD, diaphragms, cervical caps f.- include genital herpes, gonorrhea,

or the pill AIDS and others

7.- Protecting yourself against the AIDS g.- but they reduce the risk of STDs.

virus is important

8.- Monogamy h.- because the disease is fatal and

has no cure

Oral Work:

Explain the meaning of the visual chosen at the beginning.

Exchange opinions. Do you like it? Why(not)? What other visual would you have chosen?

What is the meaning of the interrogation mark?

PART B

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Herpes

Genital Herpes: Symptoms, Treatments, Prevention

A shocking 80 percent of people infected with HSV are never aware that they are infected because either they never develop symptoms or they fail to recognize the symptoms when they do occur.

There are two types of herpes and both can affect the genitals and the mouth. HSV 1 most commonly occurs on the lips in the form of fever blisters and cold sores. HSV 2 most commonly appears in the genitals. Once a person is infected with HSV it remains for life and people can experience periodic episodes of active herpes.

What are the symptoms of herpes?

They vary widely from person to person. When symptoms do appear during a first episode they usually appear within 2 to 10 days after infection and last an average of 2 to 3 weeks.

Some of the earliest symptoms can include:

  • An itching or burning sensation
  • Pain in the legs, buttocks, or genital area
  • Vaginal discharge
  • A feeling of pressure or fullness in the abdominal area

A few days following the initial symptoms, sores or lesions erupt at the site of the infection. These sores can occur inside the vagina or on the cervix in women, as well as in the urinary passage in both men and women. Herpes lesions may first appear as small red bumps that develop into blisters which become painful, open sores. After several days these sores become crusted and then heal without scarring.

The first episode of genital herpes can also include symptoms such as:

  • fever
  • headache
  • muscle aches
  • urinary pain or difficulty
  • swollen glands in the groin area.

After genital herpes invades the skin or mucous membranes, the virus travels to the sensory nerves at the end of the spinal cord where it remains inside the nerve cells in an inactive state. Most people experience a monthly recurrence of symptoms. During a recurrent episode of genital herpes the virus travels along the nerves to the skin where it multiplies at or near the site of the original herpes lesions, causing new sores to appear.

HSV can reactivate without any visible sores or lesions being present. During these periods of active virus, small amounts of the virus can shed at or near the site of the original lesions from genital secretions or from indiscernible lesions. Shedding occurs without any accompanying discomfort and may only last a day or two, but it is possible to infect a sexual partner during this time.

Activity 3: Read the article and answer the questions

1.- Why is it difficult for people to recognize they have HSV?

2.- What characterizes each of the two types of herpes?

3.- How long does the illness last?

4.- If there are symptoms, when do they appear?

5.- Can sores occur?

6.- What happens after the genital herpes invades the skin?

7.- How can a sexual partner get infected?

______

Answers:

Activity 1: F - T - F - F - T - T - T - F

Activity 2: 1.- d 2.- f 3.- b 4.- g 5.- a 6.- c 7.- h 8.- e

Activity 3:

1.- Because many times they don´t develop symptoms.

2.- HSV 1 most commonly occurs on the lips in the form of fever blisters and cold sores. HSV 2 most commonly appears in the genitals.

3.- Once a person is infected with HSV it remains for life and people can experience periodic episodes of active herpes.

4.- They usually appear within 2 to 10 days after infection and last an average of 2 to 3 weeks.

5.- Yes, they can.

6.- The virus travels to the sensory nerves at the end of the spinal cord where it remains inside the nerve cells in an inactive state.

7.- When the virus is activesmall amounts of the virus can shed at or near the site of the original lesions from genital secretions or from indiscernible lesions. Shedding occurs without any accompanying discomfort and may only last a day or two, but it is possible to infect a sexual partner during this time.