402 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
SORES ON THE GENITALS
A single, painless sore on the genitals may be a sign of syphilis (see p. 237). But
several sores are likely to be a sign of other sexually transmitted infections: genital
warts, genital herpes, or chancroid. HIV can easily pass through a sore on the genitals
during sex. Always use a condom, and avoid having sex if the condom will not cover
the sore.
Genital Warts (Venereal warts,
Condylomata acuminata)
These warts are caused by a virus that is spread
by sexual contact. They look like warts on other
parts of the body (see p. 210) but there are usually
more of them.
on a man
Signs:
Small, hard, whitish or brownish skin growths
that have a rough surface. In men they usually
grow on the penis but can also grow on the
scrotum or anus. In women they grow on the lips
of the vagina, inside the vagina, on the cervix, or
around the anus.
on a woman
Treatment:
Apply a small amount of trichloroacetic acid or podophyllin
(see p. 374) to each wart. (If possible, first apply some Vaseline or other greasy
ointment to the skin around each wart to protect the healthy skin.) Podophyllin must be
washed off 6 hours later. Several treatments are usually necessary. The warts will slowly
shrink and go away, but often return.
Prevention:
The man should wear a condom (see p. 290) during sex if either he or his partner
has genital warts.
Using a condom each time you have sex helps prevent the spread of warts,
herpes, chancroid, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections.
Genital Herpes
Genital herpes is a painful skin infection caused by a virus. Small blisters appear
on the sex parts. Genital herpes is spread from person to person during sex. Genital
herpes occasionally appears on the mouth from oral sex. But it is different from the kind
of herpes that commonly occurs on the mouth, which is often not spread by sex
(see Cold Sores, p. 232).