Consequences of Sexually transmitted infections

Sexually transmitted infections among adolescents and young people have major health consequences; they may cause:

• Discomfort and pain, ulcerative lesions, Pelvic inflammatory disease;
• Increased risk of acquiring HIV infections; 
• Serious pregnancy complications of the newborn, including pre-term birth, low-birth weight and death. For example, Syphilis in pregnancy leads to an estimated 215,000 stillbirths and fetal death and 90.000 neo-natal deaths each year. Furthermore, STIs such as Gonorrhea and Chlamydia are major causes of infertility. Human papilloma virus (HPV) was responsible for an estimated 528,000 cases of cervical cancer and 266,000 deaths from cervical cancer in 2012.