More Knowledge About Symptoms Of Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum – a specific type of bacteria called a spirochete. Syphilisis characterized by four stages: primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary.

After becoming infected with syphilis, there is an incubation period between of 9 to 90 days (the average being around 21 days) before the first signs and symptoms of the disease appear. Each stage of syphilis has characteristic signs and symptoms but any particular sign or symptom of may or may not be present.

Syphilis develops in four stages, each with a different set of symptoms.

Primary stage

During the primary stage of syphilis, a sore (chancre) that is usually painless develops at the site where the bacteria entered the body. This commonly occurs within 3 weeks of exposure but can range from 10 to 90 days. A person is highly contagious during the primary stage.

In men, a chancre often appears in the genital area, usually (but not always) on the penis. These sores are often painless.

In women, chancres can develop on the outer genitals or on the inner part of the vagina. A chancre may go unnoticed if it occurs inside the vagina or at the opening to the uterus (cervix). The sores are usually painless and are not easily seen.

Swelling of the lymph nodes may occur near the area of the chancre.

A chancre may also occur in an area of the body other than the genitals.

The chancre lasts for 28 to 42 days, heals without treatment, and may leave a thin scar. But just because the chancre has healed does not mean the syphilis is cured or that a person cannot pass the infection to others.

Secondary syphilis is characterized by a rash that appears from 4 to 10 weeks after the chancre develops and sometimes before it heals. Other symptoms may also occur, indicating that the infection has spread throughout the body. A person is highly contagious during the secondary stage.

A rash often develops over the body and commonly includes the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.

The rash usually consists of reddish brown, small, solid, flat or raised skin sores that are less. But the rash may look like other more common skin problems.

Small, open sores may be present on mucous membranes. The sores may contain pus. Or moist sores that look like warts (called condyloma lata) may be present.

When syphilis has spread throughout the body, the person may have :

A fever of usually less than 101°F (38.3°C). A sore throat. A vague feeling of weakness or discomfort throughout the body.

Weight loss. Patchy hair loss, especially in the eyebrows, eyelashes, and scalp hair. Swelling of the lymph nodes.

Nervous system symptoms of secondary syphilis, which can cause headaches, stiff neck, vision or hearing problems, irritability, paralysis, unequal reflexes, and irregular (different-sized) pupils.

Tertiary (late) stage

This is the most destructive stage of syphilis. If untreated, the tertiary stage may begin as early as 1 year after infection or at any time during a person's lifetime. A person with syphilis may never experience this stage of the illness.

During this stage, syphilis may cause serious blood vessel and heart problems, mental disorders, blindness, nerve system problems, and even death. The symptoms of tertiary (late) syphilis depend on the complications that develop. Complications of this stage include:

Gummata, which are large sores inside the body or on the skin. Cardiovascular syphilis, which affects the heart and blood vessels. Neurosyphilis, which affects the brain or the lining that covers the brain. Congenital syphilis

Congenital syphilis refers to syphilis passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or during labor and delivery.  Preventive Services Task Force strongly recommend that all pregnant women be screened for syphilis because of the severe consequences of being pregnant while infected or having a child born with congenital syphilis. Screening should be done:3, 4

At the first prenatal visit for all pregnant women.

At the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy and again at delivery for women who are at high risk of acquiring syphilis.

Congenital syphilis increases the risk of fetal death and medical complications in newborns. 

Syphilis enters the fetal blood system through the placenta, causing infection of the newborn or death of the fetus. Symptoms of congenital syphilis include:

A highly contagious watery discharge from the nose ("snuffles"). Painful inflammation of the bone coverings. Contagious rash that frequently appears over the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Reduced red blood cells in the blood (anemia). Enlarged liver and spleen.

Swelling of the lymph nodes. Failure to grow and develop normally (failure to thrive).

Because there are other conditions with similar symptoms, an accurate diagnosis is important for treatment.

If untreated, an infected person will progress to the latent (hidden) stage of syphilis. The latent stage is defined as the year after a person becomes infected. After the secondary-stage rash goes away, the person will not have any symptoms for a time (latent period). The latent period may be as brief as 1 year or range from 5 to 20 years.

Often during this stage, an accurate diagnosis can only be made through blood testing, the person's history, or the birth of a child with congenital syphilis.

A person is contagious during the early part of the latent stage and may be contagious during the latent period when no symptoms are present.

About 20% to 30% of people with syphilis have a relapse of the disease during its latent stage.2 A relapse means the person was symptom-free but then started having symptoms again. Relapses can occur several times.

When relapses no longer occur, a person is not contagious through contact. But a woman in the latent stage of syphilis may still pass the disease to her unborn baby and may have a miscarriage or a stillbirth or give birth to a baby infected with congenital syphilis.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

Human papillomavirus or HPV, is the name for a group of viruses that includes more than 100 types. More than 40 types of HPV can be passed through sexual contact.

The types of HPV that infect the genital area are called genital HPV. Over half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives. But most people never know it. This is because HPV most often has no symptoms and goes away on its own.

HPV is passed on through genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex. HPV may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. HPV can be passed on between straight and same-sex partners—even when the infected partner has no signs or symptoms.

A person can have HPV even if years have passed since he or she had sexual contact with an infected person. Most infected persons do not realize they are infected or that they are passing the virus on to a sex partner. It is also possible to get more than one type of HPV. Very rarely, a pregnant woman with genital HPV can pass HPV to her baby during delivery. In these cases, the child can develop Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP), a rare condition in which warts grow in the throat. In children, this is also referred to as juvenile-onset Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (JORRP).

It is important to remember that most women with high risk HPV don’t develop cervical cancer. We know from research that other factors affect whether you develop a cancer, such as how well your immune system is working or whether you smoke. Women who smoke and have a high risk type of HPV infection are more likely to go on to get cervical cancer.

People with low immunity also have an increased risk of cervical cancer. Your immunity may be low because you take certain medicines for another condition, or because you have an illness that affects your immunity, such as HIV or AIDS. If you have low immunity, it is particularly important to have regular cervical screening.

Most women who have HPV infections never know it. This is one reason why you need regular Pap tests. A Pap test is when a cell sample is taken from your cervix and looked at with a microscope. A Pap test can find changes on the cervix caused by HPV. To do a Pap test, your doctor will use a small brush to take cells from your cervix. It’s simple, fast, and the best way to find out if your cervix is healthy.

Many women worry about becoming infected with HPV again after they have had treatment for abnormal cervical cells. Viruses are difficult to treat and your body gets rid of them by developing immunity to them. This may take from a few months to a few years.

Some women worry about whether their partner has the virus and could reinfect them. Men aren’t routinely tested for HPV because the only way for a man to find out if he has the virus is to have several biopsies. Even then, a negative result only means that HPV wasn’t found on those biopsies and not necessarily that he doesn’t have HPV at all. Our bodies clear the virus. So, even if a man has the virus when he is test, his immune system may get rid of it before the test result comes back.

Some types of HPV can increase your risk of developing cancers in other parts of the body, not just the cervix. Not everyone with these types of HPV will go on to develop cancer. These cancers are rare and other factors are necessary before cancer will develop.  Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading HPV. A vaccine can protect against several types of HPV, including some that can cause cancer.

In our modern world we need modern solutions to stay safe. Whether for regular self screening or for testing a potential partner for STDs, a fast and accurate test that can be used in the privacy of your home is the solution for safety and peace of mind.

We offer STD tests for HIV using urine, saliva, or blood, and offer a full range of STD testing kits including Chlamydia, Herpes, hpv genital warts, Syphylis. We also carry infectious diseases tests such as Hepatitis B and C, Cytomegalovirus, Rubella, Toxoplasmosis, Trichomas and Vaginal Candiasis.

For women we highly recommend our HPV genital warts test as some forms of HPV can develop into cervical cancer.

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Get Home Rapid Gonorrhea Test Best For Our

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Gonorrhea is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the womb), uterus (womb), and fallopian tubes (egg canals) in women, and in the urethra (urine canal) in women and men. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes, and anus.

Gonorrhea is spread through contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus. Ejaculation does not have to occur for gonorrhea to be transmitted or acquired. Gonorrhea can also be spread from mother to baby during delivery.

People who have had gonorrhea and received treatment may get infected again if they have sexual contact with a person infected with gonorrhea.

Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea. In the United States, the highest reported rates of infection are among sexually active teenagers, young adults.

Some men with gonorrhea may have no symptoms at all. However, some men have signs or symptoms that appear one to fourteen days after infection. Symptoms and signs include a burning sensation when urinating, or a white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis. Sometimes men with gonorrhea get painful or swollen testicles.

In women, the symptoms of gonorrhea are often mild, but most women who are infected have no symptoms. Even when a woman has symptoms, they can be so non-specific as to be mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection. The initial symptoms and signs in women include a painful or burning sensation when urinating, increased vaginal discharge, or vaginal bleeding between periods. Women with gonorrhea are at risk of developing serious complications from the infection, regardless of the presence or severity of symptoms.

Symptoms of rectal infection in both men and women may include discharge, anal itching, soreness, bleeding, or painful bowel movements. Rectal infection also may cause no symptoms. Infections in the throat may cause a sore throat, but usually causes no symptoms.

If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she may give the infection to her baby as the baby passes through the birth canal during delivery. This can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection in the baby. Treatment of gonorrhea as soon as it is detected in pregnant women will reduce the risk of these complications. Pregnant women should consult a health care provider for appropriate examination, testing, and treatment, as necessary.

We all want to protect ourselves and each other from infections like gonorrhea. Learning more about gonorrhea is an important first step. 

Gonorrhea at a Glance :

>> A common sexually transmitted disease (STD)

>> Often has no symptoms

>> Easily treated

>> Easily spread with or without symptoms

>> Condoms offer good protection

Want to get tested for gonorrhea? 

The Home Bio Gonorrhea test is an easy to use, accurate and reliable assay that will detect antibodies to the bacteria that cause gonorrhea present on swab samples collected from the cervix or the urethra.

The test is easy to use and the result is available within minutes – in the privacy of your own home.

Accurate and Specific

Our test kits are the same as those used by doctors and other healthcare professionals to screen for infection with gonorrhea. The test is specific for Neisseria gonorrhea bacteria and has an accuracy of greater than 99.8%.

Performing the test

Using the swab provided, a sample is taken from the cervix (women) or urethra (men) and transferred to the extraction solution. A second solution is added and then the test strip is briefly into the solution and removed. The easy to read result will develop after ten minutes and you will learn if you have a gonorrhea infection or not.

The test comes with an easy to understand instruction sheet.

The Best Hepatitis C Test And Accurate For You To Use

Hepatitis C is an infection caused by a virus that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation. Most people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have no symptoms. In fact, most people don't know they have the hepatitis C infection until liver damage shows up, decades later, during routine medical tests.

Hepatitis C is one of several hepatitis viruses and is generally considered to be among the most serious of these viruses. Hepatitis C is passed through contact with contaminated blood — most commonly through needles shared during illegal drug use.

Most people have no symptoms until the virus causes liver damage, which can take 10 or more years to happen. Others have one or more of the following symptoms :

# yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice

# a longer than usual amount of time for bleeding to stop

# swollen stomach or ankles

# easy bruising

# tiredness

# upset stomach

# fever

# loss of appetite

# diarrhea

# light-colored stools

# dark yellow urine

Hepatitis C is chronic when the body can’t get rid of the Hepatitis C virus. Although some people clear the virus from their bodies in a few months, most Hepatitis C infections become chronic. Without treatment, chronic Hepatitis C can cause scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis; liver cancer; and liver failure.

Your risk of hepatitis C infection is increased if you :

# Are a health care worker who has been exposed to infected blood

# Have ever injected illicit drugs

# Have HIV

# Received a piercing or tattoo in an unclean environment using unsterile equipment

# Received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992

# Received clotting factor concentrates before 1987

# Received hemodialysis treatments for a long period of time

# Were born to a woman with a hepatitis C infection

You can protect yourself and others from hepatitis C if you :

# do not share drug needles

# wear gloves if you have to touch another person’s blood

# use a condom during sex

# do not borrow another person’s toothbrush, razor, or anything else that could have blood on it

# make sure any tattoos or body piercings you get are done with sterile tools

# do not donate blood or blood products if you have hepatitis C

Testing for hepatitis C infection in people who have a high risk of coming in contact with the virus may help doctors begin treatment or recommend lifestyle changes that may slow liver damage. This is recommended because hepatitis C infection often begins damaging the liver before it causes signs and symptoms.

Get For Your Personal Rapid Chlamydia Test

Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection worldwide; thus, rapid detection and treatment are crucial to prevent further transmission. Investigators assessed the performance of the Chlamydia Rapid Test using self-collected vaginal swab specimens from women. The gold standard of comparison was polymerase chain reaction testing of first-void urine specimens.

Chlamydia, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, is the most common sexually-transmitted bacterial infection in the UK, particularly amongst sexually active men and women aged 16-24 years.
In the majority of cases, the disease is asymptomatic in both men and women. If symptoms show, they may include discharge or pain when passing urine for men. Recent research suggests that, if untreated – even when no symptoms show – it may be a cause of reduced fertility. In women, it can lead to even more serious complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain and ectopic pregnancy.

Screening has recently shown that in some parts of Britain, 10 per cent to 20 per cent of young adults have chlamydia.
Chlamydia can be cured, but unfortunately it often produces no symptoms in either men or women, so it can remain undetected.

Some women may experience: cystitis, change in vaginal discharge, mild lower abdominal pain.
These are very 'non-specific’ symptoms and can be caused by other infections and diseases. If you go to a GP or family planning doctor with these symptoms, make sure you have a chlamydia test. You are entitled to ask for the test if you aren't offered it.
In men, chlamydia often causes of discharge from the penis. Sometimes it can cause mild irritation at the tip of the penis that disappears after two or three days.
Many men will wait to see if the discomfort goes away. While the discomfort may disappear, the man can still harbour the infection.
If in doubt, get tested. Otherwise, you could put yourself at risk of inflamed and swollen testicles, and pass chlamydia on to your partner.

Once diagnosed, Chlamydia can be treated easily with a one-off antibiotic pill. However, until now, male rapid tests for Chlamydia have been relatively inaccurate and involved urethral swabs, which can cause discomfort.
The Chlamydia Rapid Test, a urine test can be used with minimal training. It is designed to be used in conjunction with FirstBurst, a device for collecting the first voided urine from men. FirstBurst collects six times the amount of Chlamydia bacteria compared to a standard urine sample to boost the test's sensitivity and gives the results in less than an hour.

Infections Associated with AIDS

Because people with AIDS have weakened immune systems, they're more prone to infections, called opportunistic infections. Opportunistic infections are caused by organisms that typically don't cause disease in healthy people but affect people with damaged immune systems. These organisms attack when there's an opportunity to infect.
Deterioration of the immune system is caused by the decline in CD4+ T cells, which are key infection fighters. As soon as HIV enters the body, it begins to destroy these cells.

Opportunistic Infections: Brain
Cryptoccoccal Menigitis — This is a yeast-like fungus infection that usually involves the brain and lungs, although it can affect almost any organ. The fungus that causes this condition is found in soil throughout the world. It is most common in soil contaminated by bird droppings. This disease most often occurs when a person's CD4+ T cell count falls below 100 cells per cubic millimeter of blood.

Genital Herpes Information

What most refer to as herpes is actually family of socially transmitted diseases caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1 cold sores) and type 2 (HSV-2 genital herpes). Other types of the virus are commonly known as shingles and the Epstein-Barr virus. Most people who carry the virus have no or only minimal signs of an infection. Because of this, many people are unaware that they have the virus. Telling signs of an infection include one or more blisters on the face or genitals that break and leave small ulcers that may take 2 to 4 weeks to heal initially. The blisters recur periodically over time, typically about 5 times per year. The frequency of outbreaks usually reduces over time.

For most healthy people it is harmless. Rare severe cases of HSV-1 on the head or face may lead to serious conditions. Extra precautions for pregnant women at the time of delivery are needed to prevent genital herpes transmission to the baby which can sometimes be fatal to infants.
The disease is very common. In the US about 20% of adults are have the infection. Because the symptoms can often be mild, most people do not know they have the disease or mistake it for other causes like insect bites. About 1 million new cases are reported every year. Millions more likely go unreported.

Use Hiv Saliva Test The Right For You

Many people live with the myth, that HIV and its harmful components are present in the saliva of a HIV positive person. Hence, kissing or sharing food with the patient can be contagious due to the presence of HIV in saliva. However, this is not true. Though the saliva might carry HIV viral RNA or proviral DNA, they are not harmful, when they reside in the human saliva.

The saliva does not carry HIV that could be infectious or contagious. This is because; the saliva does not offer a very favorable condition for the sustenance of HIV. In fact, saliva is a good agent of destroying this virus. It carries special antibodies that fight the HIV components. The antiseptic and "hypotonic" property of saliva is conditioned to destroy any foreign cell that is present in the mouth. It works as a natural defense mechanism in our body.

HIV requires a good quantity of salt for its survival. Therefore, blood gives HIV the most favorable environment for propagation. Saliva, on the contrary, deactivates 90% of the HIV- infected leukocytes, due to lack of salt. Leukocytes or the blood cells, which help in the transmission of HIV to the mucosal surface, fail to succeed in their purpose. The HIV in saliva expands and bursts, due to lack of salt.

Revealed More Clearly About Symptoms of Hepatitis

Hepatitis is the Greek term for liver inflammation. It is characterised by the destruction of a number of liver cells and the presence of inflammatory cells in the liver tissue.
Hepatitis can be caused by viruses that primarily attack the liver cells, such as hepatitis A and B. Patients with glandular fever, caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, can also suffer from an attack of hepatitis.

The symptoms of acute hepatitis vary considerably from person to person. Some patients have no symptoms at all, and in most cases, children only show mild symptoms.
In the early stages: tiredness, general malaise, slight fever, nausea, poor appetite, changes in taste perception, pressure or pain below the right ribs caused by an enlarged liver, aching muscles and joints, headache, skin rash.
The jaundiced phase: yellowing of sclerae (the whites of the eyes), skin and mucous membranes, dark urine, light-coloured stools, around this time, the other symptoms subside.
The recovery phase: tiredness that can last for weeks.
The symptoms Chronic hepatitis : Many patients have no symptoms. Tiredness, an increased need for sleep, aching muscles and joints. Periodic light pressure or pain below the right ribs – enlarged liver. Jaundice is a very late symptom of chronic hepatitis. It is a sign that the disease has become serious.

Signs and symptoms of hepatitis A
The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is found in the faeces of someone infected with the virus. It only takes a tiny amount of faeces getting inside another person’s mouth to cause hepatitis A infection. Personal hygiene, such as careful hand washing, can minimise the risk of the virus being passed on. HAV is a common infection in many parts of the world where sanitation and sewage infrastructure is poor. Often people become infected with HAV by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
Hepatitis A is also classed as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) because it can be passed on sexually, particularly during activities such as anilingus (rimming). The washing of genital and anal areas before sex, and the use of condoms or dental dams can help to prevent this risk.Hepatitis A can affect all age groups. Once a person is exposed to the virus it takes between 2 and 6 weeks to produce symptoms.
It is possible to experience mild or no symptoms whatsoever, but even if this is the case the person’s faeces will still be infectious to others. Many people who become infected with HAV will have symptoms that include:
A short, mild, flu-like illness; nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea; loss of appetite; weight loss; jaundice (yellow skin and whites of eyes, darker yellow urine and pale faeces); itchy skin; abdominal pain.
The infection usually clears in up to 2 months, but may occasionally recur or persist longer in some people. Once a person has been infected and their body has fought off the virus they are permanently immune.

Exposure of Hepatitis C Virus

Hepatitis C is an infection caused by a virus that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation. Most people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have no symptoms. In fact, most people don't know they have the hepatitis C infection until liver damage shows up, decades later, during routine medical tests.

Hepatitis C is one of several hepatitis viruses and is generally considered to be among the most serious of these viruses. Hepatitis C is passed through contact with contaminated blood — most commonly through needles shared during illegal drug use.

In most cases, the initial infection doesn't cause any symptoms. When it does, they tend to be vague and non-specific. The most common symptom experienced is fatigue, which may be mild but is sometimes extreme. Many people initially diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome are later found to have hepatitis C. Unlike hepatitis A and B, hepatitis C doesn't usually cause people to develop jaundice.

Most people have no symptoms until the virus causes liver damage, which can take 10 or more years to happen. Others have one or more of the following symptoms :
# yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice
# a longer than usual amount of time for bleeding to stop
# swollen stomach or ankles
# easy bruising
# tiredness
# upset stomach
# fever
# loss of appetite
# diarrhea
# light-colored stools
# dark yellow urine

Hepatitis C is chronic when the body can’t get rid of the hepatitis C virus. Although some people clear the virus from their bodies in a few months, most hepatitis C infections become chronic. Without treatment, chronic hepatitis C can cause scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis; liver cancer; and liver failure.

Your risk of hepatitis C infection is increased if you :
# Are a health care worker who has been exposed to infected blood
# Have ever injected illicit drugs
# Have HIV
# Received a piercing or tattoo in an unclean environment using unsterile equipment
# Received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992
# Received clotting factor concentrates before 1987
# Received hemodialysis treatments for a long period of time
# Were born to a woman with a hepatitis C infection

About 20-30 per cent of people clear the virus from their bodies - but in about 75 per cent of cases, the infection lasts for more than six months (chronic hepatitis C). In these cases, the immune system has been unable to clear the virus and will remain in the body long term unless medical treatment is given. Most of these people have a mild form of the disease with intermittent symptoms of fatigue or no symptoms at all.
About one in five people with chronic hepatitis C develops cirrhosis of the liver within 20 years (some experts believe that, with time, everyone with chronic hepatitis C would develop cirrhosis but this could take many decades).

Hepatitis C virus is usually transmitted through blood-to-blood contact. One common route is through sharing needles when injecting recreational drugs - nearly 40 per cent of intravenous drug users have the infection and around 35 per cent of people with the virus will have contracted it this way. Most people diagnosed with hepatitis C can identify at least one possible factor which may have put them at risk but for some, the likely origin of the infection isn't clear. Because it can remain hidden and symptomless for so many years, it may be very difficult to think back through the decades to how it might have begun.

You can protect yourself and others from hepatitis C if you :
# do not share drug needles
# wear gloves if you have to touch another person’s blood
# use a condom during sex
# do not borrow another person’s toothbrush, razor, or anything else that could have blood on it
# make sure any tattoos or body piercings you get are done with sterile tools
# do not donate blood or blood products if you have hepatitis C

If you think you could have been in contact with the Hepatitis C Virus at any point in the past, you can have a test to find out if you've been infected. Testing for hepatitis C infection in people who have a high risk of coming in contact with the virus may help doctors begin treatment or recommend lifestyle changes that may slow liver damage. This is recommended because hepatitis C infection often begins damaging the liver before it causes signs and symptoms.

A test is now available to identify antibody (proteins produced by the immune system in response to the virus) to HCV, which is present in approximately 50 percent of persons with early hepatitis C infections and in almost all with chronic Hepatitis C infections.

About Hepatitis B (HBV)

Hepatitis B is a liver disease. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is the painful, red swelling that results when tissues of the body become injured or infected. Inflammation can cause organs to not work properly.

The virus is transmitted by exposure to infectious blood or body fluids such as semen and vaginal fluids, while viral DNA has been detected in the saliva, tears, and urine of chronic carriers. Perinatal infection is a major route of infection in endemic (mainly developing) countries.

The acute illness causes liver inflammation, vomiting, jaundice and, rarely, death. Chronic hepatitis B may eventually cause cirrhosis and liver cancer—a disease with poor response to all but a few current therapies. The infection is preventable by vaccination.

The Transmission
You could get hepatitis B through contact with an infected person’s blood, semen, or other body fluid.
You could also get hepatitis B:
- from being born to a mother with hepatitis B
- having sex with an infected person
- being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools that were used on an infected person
- getting an accidental needle stick with a needle that was used on an infected person
- using an infected person’s razor or toothbrush
- sharing drug needles with an infected person
- people who have had more than one sex partner in the last 6 months or have a history of sexually transmitted disease
- men who have sex with men
- people who have lived in parts of the world where hepatitis B is common
-  people on hemodialysis

You cannot get hepatitis B from:
- shaking hands with an infected person
- hugging an infected person
- sitting next to an infected person

Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus either may be asymptomatic or may be associated with a chronic inflammation of the liver (chronic hepatitis), leading to cirrhosis over a period of several years. This type of infection dramatically increases the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer). Chronic carriers are encouraged to avoid consuming alcohol as it increases their risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis B virus has been linked to the development of Membranous glomerulonephritis.

If you are at higher risk of hepatitis B, get tested. Many people do not know they are infected. Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent liver damage. The tests, called assays, for detection of hepatitis B virus infection involve serum or blood tests that detect either viral antigens (proteins produced by the virus) or antibodies produced by the host. The Home Bio Hepatitis B test is an easy to use, accurate and reliable assay that will detect antibodies to the hepatitis B virus present in whole blood, serum or plasma.

Gonorrhea, pregnancy & newborn

The CDC currently recommends that pregnant women who live in a community where the infection is relatively widespread, as well as those who are otherwise at risk for the infection, should be tested for gonorrhea at their first prenatal visit and again in the third trimester if they remain at risk.

Sexually active females younger than 25 are at highest risk. Other risk factors include prior gonorrhea infection, other STIs, onset of sexual activity at a young age, new or multiple sex partners, commercial sex work, inconsistent condom use, and substance abuse. Those who are nonwhite, unmarried, or of a low socioeconomic level are also at higher risk.

If you think there's any possibility that you might have contracted gonorrhea or any other STI, let your caregiver know and ask to be tested. You should also be tested (or retested) at any time during pregnancy if you or your partner develops any symptoms of gonorrhea, or if you contract another STI, because they're often found together.

To test for gonorrhea, your practitioner will swab your cervix and send the swab to the lab for analysis. Sometimes a urine specimen is used instead.

If your test is positive, you'll be treated immediately. And if you weren't tested for other STIs along with the gonorrhea test, you'll be tested for them now. You'll be retested for gonorrhea in two to three months (sooner if you have symptoms) to make sure you haven't been reinfected, and again in the third trimester.

Babies can get the infection during birth as they pass through the birth canal. In babies, gonorrhea can cause blindness, joint infection, or a life-threatening blood infection.


How does Gonorrhea affect pregnant women?
Infected women can pass gonorrhea to their newborn baby during delivery. If a baby catches gonorrhea during childbirth, they might have eye infections. When the infection occurs in the genital tract, mouth, or rectum of a child, it is due most commonly to sexual abuse.

Common Chlamydia Q&A

Who is at risk?
Anyone who has been sexually active is at risk of getting chlamydia. It is most common at the ages when people are most likely to change partners, with about 1 in 10 twenty year-olds infected at any time. By the age of 40, at least one-third to half of all women – and men – will have had it at some time. The number of new cases has doubled in the past 5 years – probably because more people are being tested, with more accurate tests.

Who should get tested for chlamydia?
You should be tested for chlamydia once a year if you are:
- 25 or younger and have sex
- Older than 25 and:
- Have a new sex partner
- Have more than one sex partner
- Have sex with someone who has other sex partners
- Have had chlamydia or another STI in the past
- Have traded sex for money or drugs
- Do not use condoms during sex within a relationship that is not mutually monogamous, meaning you or your partner has sex with other people
- Pregnant
- You also should be tested if you have any symptoms of chlamydia.

How long does it take to get results?
This will depend on the method used to diagnose the infection. The turn-around time for a culture is typically 5 to 7 days. Other methods can give results in one day, taking several hours. With the Rapid Home Bio Chlamydia test,  the easy to read result will develop after ten minutes and you will learn if you have a Chlamydia infection or not. The test kits are the same as those used by doctors and other healthcare professionals to screen for infection with Chlamydia. The test is specific for Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria and has an accuracy greater than 99.8%.

How Can I get Chlamydia?
You can get genital chlamydia infection during oral, vaginal, or anal sexual contact with a partner that is affected. An infant can get chlamydia from an infected mother during pregnancy.

Gonorrhea Prevention (2)

Early Detection

Scientists haven't yet developed a vaccine or other way to prevent gonorrhea. You can avoid the disease by abstaining from sex or engaging in it with a monogamous, uninfected partner.

You can reduce, but not eliminate, your risk of getting gonorrhea by practicing safe sex.


The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends gonorrhea screening for all sexually active women who have risk factors for gonorrhea.

If you engage in high-risk sexual behaviors, you may want to consider being tested once a year for gonorrhea even though you don't have symptoms. Testing will allow gonorrhea to be quickly diagnosed and treated. This helps reduce the risk of transmitting gonorrhea and avoid complications of the infection. Nowadays Gonorrhea testing is made easy with The Home Bio Gonorrhea Test. The test is an easy to use, accurate and reliable assay that will detect antibodies to the bacteria that cause gonorrhea present on swab samples collected from the cervix or the urethra. The result is available within minutes – in the privacy of your own home.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends screening for pregnant women who engage in high-risk sexual behaviors to prevent them from transmitting gonorrhea to their babies. If a pregnant woman is at high risk for gonorrhea, she may be tested again during the third trimester before delivery, to prevent transmitting the infection to her newborn.

Several gonorrhea tests can be used to detect or confirm an infection. Your doctor will collect a sample of body fluid or urine to be tested for gonorrhea bacteria (Neisseria gonorrhoeae). Most tests give results within a few days.

Other sexually transmitted infections may be present with a gonorrhea infection. Your doctor may recommend testing for:

Teens & HIV Test 2

Approximately 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS, and more than 56,000 become infected with HIV every year. One-third of them are between the ages of 13 and 29. That means at least two teenagers and young adults in this country are infected with HIV every hour of every day. But many young people still do not think they are personally at risk for HIV.

When teens in the United States become infected with HIV, it usually happens in one of two ways:

1. By sharing needles used to inject drugs or other substances (including needles used for injecting steroids, tattooing, piercing, and body art). If the person who has used the needle is infected with HIV, his or her blood on the needle can infect anyone else who uses the same needle.

2. Through unprotected sex including anal, vaginal, and oral sex. This can happen when body fluids such as semen, vaginal fluids, or blood from an infected person get into the body of someone who is not infected. Everyone who has unprotected sex with an infected person is at risk of contracting HIV, but people who already have another sexually transmitted disease (STD) are even more at risk.

Children can be infected with HIV if an infected pregnant woman passes the virus to her unborn child. Treating the mother and child around the time the baby is delivered, delivering by cesarean section, and avoiding breastfeeding can reduce the baby's risk of infection.

If people with HIV get treated, they can live long, relatively healthy lives — just as people who have other chronic diseases like diabetes can. But, as with diabetes or asthma, there is still no cure for HIV and AIDS.
Pediatricians should offer routine HIV testing to adolescents at least once before they are 16 to 18 if the local prevalence of the virus is greater than 0.1%, according to a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

If the local community prevalence is lower, pediatricians should offer the test to all sexually active patients as well as to those with other risk factors, such as drug use, according to Patricia J. Emmanuel, MD, of the University of South Florida, and colleagues on the academy's Committee of Pediatric AIDS.

The recent introduction of rapid HIV tests makes screening less invasive, although the gold standard remains detection of HIV antibody in serum, followed by confirmatory tests with Western blot or immunofluorescent assay.

About HIV Test (2)

Rapid HIV tests

OraQuick HIV-1/2 rapid test kit
These tests are based on the same technology as ELISA tests, but instead of sending the sample to a laboratory to be analysed, the rapid test can produce results within 20 minutes.

Rapid tests can use either a blood sample or oral fluids. They are easy to use and do not require laboratory facilities or highly trained staff.

All positive results from a rapid test must be followed up with a confirmatory test, the results of which can take from a few days to a few weeks.

Antigen test (P24 test)
Antigens are the substances found on a foreign body or germ that trigger the production of antibodies in the body. The antigen on HIV that most commonly provokes an antibody response is the protein P24. Early in HIV infection, P24 is produced in excess and can be detected in the blood serum (although as HIV becomes fully established in the body it will fade to undetectable levels).

P24 antigen tests are not usually used for general HIV diagnostic purposes, as they have a very low sensitivity and they only work before antibodies are produced in the period immediately after HIV infection. They are now most often used as a component of 'fourth generation' tests.

Fourth generation tests
Some of the most modern HIV tests combine P24 antigen tests with standard antibody tests to reduce the ‘diagnostic window’. Testing for antibodies and P24 antigen simultaneously has the advantage of enabling earlier and more accurate HIV detection.

About HIV Test (1)

HIV antibody test

HIV antibody tests are the most appropriate test for routine diagnosis of HIV among adults. Antibody tests are inexpensive and very accurate. The ELISA antibody test (enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent) also known as EIA (enzyme immunoassay) was the first HIV test to be widely used.

How do antibody tests work?
When a person is infected with HIV, their body responds by producing special proteins that fight infection, called antibodies. An HIV antibody test looks for these antibodies in blood, saliva or urine. If antibodies to HIV are detected, it means a person has been infected with HIV. There are only two exceptions to this rule:

Babies born to HIV infected mothers retain their mother's antibodies for up to 18 months, which means they may test positive on an HIV antibody test, even if they are actually HIV negative. Normally babies who are born to HIV positive mothers receive a PCR test (see below) after birth. Some people who have taken part in HIV vaccine trials may have HIV antibodies even if they are not infected with the virus.

Most people develop detectable HIV antibodies within 6 to 12 weeks of infection. In very rare cases, it can take up to 6 months and there are nearly always very particular reasons for antibodies developing so late such as other auto-immune disorders. It is exceedingly unlikely that someone would take longer than 6 months to develop antibodies.

What is a window period?
The ‘window period’ is a term used to describe the period of time between HIV infection and the production of antibodies. During this time, an antibody test may give a ‘false negative’ result, which means the test will be negative, even though a person is infected with HIV. To avoid false negative results, antibody tests are recommended three months after potential exposure to HIV infection.

A negative test at three months will almost always mean a person is not infected with HIV. If an individual’s test is still negative at six months, and they have not been at risk of HIV infection in the meantime, it means they are not infected with HIV.

It is very important to note that if a person is infected with HIV, they can still transmit the virus to others during the window period.