Chlamydia tops the chart for most googled STI across the world

Professional and discreet testing experts Stress Free Health Testing have analyzed Google search trends to determine which STIs make the world’s population itch with anxiety.

Chlamydia tops the chart for the most googled STI worldwide, with a record 27 countries where people Google the STI more than any other sexually transmitted infection.

This top-ranking STI is the subject of a high number of Google searches in the United Kingdom and Germany, where it gets looked up a whopping 110,000 times per month. Chlamydia also wreaks havoc in France with around 74,000 monthly searches.

Syphilis’s many Google searches across the globe make it the second most searched for STI. Only topping the charts in eight countries fewer than Chlamydia, Syphilis is the second most googled STI in 19 of the world’s nations.

Hepatitis B is the third most searched STI globally, but there are 12 countries where it ranks first for monthly searches. It is googled around 22,200 times per month in Nigeria, 14,800 times in Malaysia, and 6,600 times in Ghana.

Scabies tops the charts in only two counties fewer than Hepatitis B. It is the most googled STI in ten countries, including Ireland and Pakistan. People in Ireland look up Scabies around 12,100 times per month, while those living in Pakistan Google Scabies 9,900 times.

Also featuring in the top five of the most googled STIs worldwide, Genital Herpes and Gonorrhea share the same number of countries where they are the most searched STIs. They top the charts in six countries each.

Most googled STIs in the world

How common are STIs in the world?

STIs, unfortunately, are still rather common across the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports about 376 million new infections of Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, or Trichomoniasis globally every year. That’s over a million STIs acquired across the world every day! Moreover, the sheer number of Google searches for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Syphilis in most countries reflects people’s concern for their sexual health.

Discussing STIs has mostly been taboo in countries across the globe. However, the WHO has played an important role in helping sufferers to overcome this reticence, by raising awareness as to how common STIs are. Owing to the WHOs many awareness campaigns, more and more people across the world are learning about the risks of STIs and how to prevent contracting them.

Let’s look at how the most googled STIs in the world can be contracted and what telling signs to look out for to prevent them from causing more problems.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is transmitted through unprotected sexual contact, and it is the most prevalent type of STI worldwide. This STI is one of the many reproductive tract infections that may damage the reproductive system if not treated correctly or in time.

Chlamydia is most common amongst teenagers and young adults. It is transmitted by not using condoms during intercourse or by sharing sex toys. Even if there is no ejaculation or penetration during the sexual act, coming into contact with someone who has Chlamydia without protection can mean contracting the bacterial infection.

Chlamydia Symptoms

One of the dangers of Chlamydia is that it doesn’t show any symptoms in its early stages. Only several weeks after infection will someone who contracted it start to notice signs. Typically, incubation takes between two to six weeks.

Chlamydia may cause pain during urination and unusual discharge. Men can experience painful and swollen testicles, while women may bleed between their periods or after sex and experience stomach pain.

Syphilis

Syphilis is a chronic bacterial infection transmitted between partners through unprotected intercourse or to a fetus during pregnancy. Its effects can be severe and affect more than the sufferer’s reproductive health.

This bacterial infection can be contracted by coming into close contact with an infected sore. It can also be transmitted by sharing unwashed sex toys, having unprotected sex, sharing needles, or receiving blood transfusions from an infected blood donor.

When passed to an unborn baby, syphilis can potentially cause miscarriages or stillbirths. If left untreated, it can cause serious long-term problems, including spreading to the brain or other parts of the body.

Syphilis symptoms

Some people with Syphilis show no symptoms. Those who experience telling signs might not realize they have the infection, and some symptoms may disappear in time. The lack of symptoms, if any, makes syphilis’s prevalence in the world hard to manage.

Symptoms of syphilis can include small and painless sores or ulcers on the penis, vagina, around the anus, and even in the mouth. A blotchy red rash on the palms or soles can also indicate syphilis, as can white patches in the mouth. In some cases, small skin growths similar to genital warts may develop on the vulva or around the anus.

Other symptoms of syphilis, which can be easily confused with non-related health problems, include tiredness, joint pains, headaches, fever, and swollen glands in the neck, groin or armpits.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a liver infection that’s contracted through blood and bodily fluids. It can be transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse by vaginal fluids or semen, sharing needles, toothbrushes or razors. A mother can also transmit Hepatitis B to her baby during childbirth.

This STI may not cause any symptoms in adults and pass without treatment in a few months. However, affected children may eventually experience severe liver damage if untreated. Those at risk of Hepatitis B can get vaccinated against the infection.

Hepatitis B symptoms

Some people can fight off the hepatitis B virus naturally without even realizing they have it. Symptoms tend either not to develop or develop two to three months after exposure. Those who do experience symptoms may experience tiredness, fevers, and aches in the body.

A loss of appetite is also a common symptom of this STI. Feeling and being sick, diarrhea, stomach pain, and yellowing of the skin and eyes are also signs of hepatitis B.

Scabies

Scabies is widespread, and anyone is at risk of developing it. Unlike other STIs in this list, scabies can be transmitted outside of any sexual contact. Although this STI is not a severe threat, it needs treatment as it can quickly spread.

Tiny mites burrow themselves under the skin and cause rashes that may turn into spots. Although scabies is most often found between the fingers first, the rash can appear anywhere on the body. The tiny mites lay eggs in the skin and leave lines with a dot at the end.

Scabies is treated with a prescribed cream or lotion applied to the whole body. The treatment should be repeated one week later to ensure there is no trace of the bugs left. When one person in a household has Scabies, everyone else needs to be treated simultaneously since the condition is transmitted quickly.

Scabies Symptoms

People who have scabies experience intense itching and raised rashes or spots. The spots may look red and be harder to see on dark skin. Nonetheless, the rashes and spots can be felt through the skin.

Genital herpes

Genital herpes is typically transmitted through unprotected sex, like most STIs. It can also be contracted from sharing unwashed sex toys, having a cold sore touch the genital area, or touching the genital area after touching someone infected.

A condom can help prevent genital herpes, but it is not a guaranteed way to avoid the infection because it may not cover the whole infected area. Some people may not even know they have been infected, as this STI can take months or years to show symptoms.

Although a cure for genital herpes has not been discovered yet, prescribed medication can help alleviate symptoms.

Genital herpes symptoms

A tell-tale sign of genital herpes is having small blisters develop around the genitals and surrounding area that burst to leave open sores. Other symptoms include pain during urination and tingling, burning, or itching around the genitals. Women also experience unusual vaginal discharge.

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea can easily get passed between people by having unprotected sex or sharing unwashed sex toys. The bacteria mainly affects the opening of the cervix (womb) and the urethra (the tube that passes urine out of the body).

Gonorrhea will not cause any complications when treated early, but postponing treatment can lead to severe long-term problems. It can cause painful testicle and prostate gland infections in men, which can lead to reduced fertility.

The infection can spread to the reproductive organs in women and cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which happens in 10% to 20% of untreated cases. PID can cause long-term pelvic pain, infertility and ectopic pregnancy.

If a pregnant person has gonorrhea, it can also cause miscarriage, premature labor and birth, and affect the fetus. The baby might be born with conjunctivitis or risk permanent vision damage.

Gonorrhea symptoms

Symptoms of gonorrhea typically develop up to two weeks after infection. However, one-in-ten men and five-in-ten women will not show any obvious signs at all.

In women, gonorrhea can cause unusual discharge, pain or burning while urinating, pain or tenderness in the lower abdominal area, and changes in their menstrual cycle. These changes include bleeding between periods, heavier periods and bleeding after sex.

In men, gonorrhea symptoms include unusual discharge, pain or burning during urination, swelling of the foreskin, and pain or tender testicles.

Note:- Article is for general information purpose only. Before following any guide mentioned in the above article please consult your medical doctor.