#STDs #STIs #sexuallytransmitteddiseases #sexuallytransmittedinfections #health #sexualhealth
**Where did STIs/STDs come from?**
We often hear about sexually transmitted infections or diseases (STIs/STDs) in the news, health classes, or from our healthcare providers. But have you ever wondered where they actually come from and how they originated? Let’s dive into the history of STIs/STDs to understand their origins.
**Evolution of STIs/STDs**
STIs/STDs are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other organisms that are transmitted through sexual contact. These infections have been around for centuries and have evolved and spread through different populations and regions over time.
**Historical Origins**
1. **Ancient Times:** The history of STIs/STDs dates back to ancient civilizations like the Greek and Roman empires. They were well aware of diseases transmitted through sexual intercourse and documented their symptoms and treatments.
2. **Colonial Period:** The exploration and colonization of new lands during the 15th to 18th centuries increased the spread of STIs/STDs. Sailors and travelers introduced these infections to new populations, leading to outbreaks in different parts of the world.
3. **Industrial Revolution:** The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries brought about significant social changes, leading to urbanization and increased migration. These factors contributed to the spread of STIs/STDs among growing populations.
**Modern Day Situation**
Today, STIs/STDs continue to be a major public health concern worldwide. The rise of globalization, travel, and online dating has made it easier for infections to spread rapidly across borders. Lack of awareness, stigma, and inadequate access to healthcare also contribute to the prevalence of STIs/STDs in many communities.
**Prevention and Education**
It’s essential to prioritize education, regular testing, and safe sex practices to prevent the spread of STIs/STDs. Remember to always practice safe sex, get tested regularly, and communicate openly with your partners about sexual health.
In conclusion, STIs/STDs have a long history and have been transmitted through various means over the centuries. By understanding their origins and taking proactive steps to prevent their spread, we can work towards creating a healthier and safer future for everyone. Stay informed, stay safe! 💪🩺🔬
Remember, prevention is always better than cure when it comes to STIs/STDs. Stay informed, get tested, and protect yourself and your loved ones. #sexualhealthawareness #preventioniskey #STIprevention #sexualhealtheducation
They mutated and evolved the ability to be secreted via sexual organs and infect the recipient. They’re regular infectious diseases that developed an extra route to the host’s system.
The short answer is that current literature is not entirely conclusive at this point. There also seems to be a large amount of variability between different diseases as far as geography, ethnic population, etc. when it comes to identifying a single point of origin. However, one interesting commonality in recent research is that it has been shown there is a common subject across most STI/STD historical studies and that would be your mom.
For example HIV predecessor, SIV originated in chimpanzees, so it contracted and mutated to have human hosts either by humans being exposed to their blood (which is likely – for example, by eating them uncooked) or by some twisted form of zoophilia. I wish I was joking.
you can get many diseases through sex. Sometimes diseases evolve from “it’s possible to get it through sex” to “the main way to get it is through sex”.
I don’t think this is a great conversation for a five year old.
It varies. HIV is also spread by blood. That’s probably how it crossed species in the first place, crass jokes aside. Syphilis is believed to have come from South America, where it was a skin disease that thrive in the most environment. When it was transmitted to the old world by European explorers, it struggled in the drier parts of the world, so it adapted to moister body parts such as the genitalia. Herpes is spread by skin contact. In fact there are two varieties of HSV that are common today, one of which has is most common in the mouth, the other in the genitals. The latter just specialized to that region because humans commonly have skin to skin contact with their genitals.
Most of the bacterial diseases like
Gonorrhea
Chlamydia
Syphilis
And viral like Hep C
Are transmitted by European colonizers.
Mostly the French colonizers who had these and went on to sexually abuse the natives in americas, africas.
[source 1 ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8428842/)
[source 2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14662043.2015.1051284)
[source 3](https://www.news-medical.net/health/History-of-Sexually-Transmitted-Disease.aspx)
[source 4](https://jmvh.org/article/syphilis-its-early-history-and-treatment-until-penicillin-and-the-debate-on-its-origins/)
obligatory, your mom.
seriously though most of the sexually transmitted virus existed in other species before they mutated to cross the interspecies barrier to affect other species ( in this case humans).
Some of them come from animals.
* Zoonotic syphillis comes from primates
* Brucellosis comes from cattle, goats and sheeps
* Campylobactirosis comes from bird and livestock
* Genital herpes is believed to have originated in animals
Basically, the first contact was probably through farming, with humans living in close proximity of domesticated animals, and then it spread through human to human sexual contact.
The sexual route of transmission – body to body via bodily fluid exchange is for the structurally most feeble microbes and viruses that can’t survive for any period of time in water (eg streams, wells), on surfaces, or in exhaled / sneezed/coughed out droplets.
They are so feeble they literally need to go directly from one person into another with no outside time at all.
While they may be structurally feeble they can surely be deadly if left untreated eg HIV, syphilis, HPV infection (via causing cancer).
Like most infectious diseases they mostly if not entirely come from other species originally and hopped the species barrier into humans. In the case of HIV it is believed to have come from the practice of preparation and consumption of ‘bush meat’ the meat of various primates and monkeys and crossed into humans most likely in the 1950’s in central Africa.
Noah and his family were each riddled with about a dozen STDs each. Otherwise the STDs would have died out in the flood.
To quote a genius, “Life…uh…finds a way…”
It’s complicated though, because viruses (lots of STIs are viral) aren’t technically alive.
The easiest way to think about it though is in terms of ecological niches. Humans are a big ass niche, and sex is a good way to spread between hosts, so we get STDs. It’s not because the STI cares, it just wants to colonize new territory, and it has various strategies for doing so, and, unfortunately, they’re often unpleasant for us the hosts..
It all started with my late Auntie May. She was breeding ground for all things viral and the occasional bacterial infection. A real petri dish if you ask me
The first case of syphilis in a European was probably caused by them raping a native American. It’s one of the few diseases that went the other way around during that exchange.
To be blunt. You always got sexual transmit microbe. In fact microbe is everywhere and you got it all the times
Only very little of them mutated and become disease. And very much little of those can spread via contact
But normal skin have more protective layer. Unlike around soft membrane and bodily orifice. So sexual is one of an act that a little bit easier to transmit disease than normal contact. It also an act that require same kind of organ to contact with each other
But once it exist and spread it then explode in number
Scrolling through here hoping to see “from OP’s mom” and not seeing it….. do better, people.