Trichomoniasis in Singapore is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a parasite; it causes itching and discharge, and can increase the risk of getting HIV.
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Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by a single-celled parasite. It’s commonly referred to as “trich,” which is pronounced “trick.” Any activity that spreads fluids from the genital tract of one person to another can transmit trich, including vaginal intercourse, the sharing of sex toys, and stimulation of each other’s genitals using the hands. However, it lives only in the genital tract, so oral and anal sex don’t transmit trich.
Symptoms
In many infected people, especially in men, trichomoniasis doesn’t cause symptoms. If it does cause symptoms, the major symptom of trichomoniasis is discharge from the vagina or penis; the discharge typically has a fishy smell. In women, there’s usually a lot of discharge, although men may have only a small amount. There may be burning with urination and a need to urinate more frequently than usual. Women commonly experience itching in the vagina, which is worsened by intercourse.
Trichomoniasis also makes the transmission of HIV more likely, and has been linked to premature labor and low birth weight in babies born to moms with trich.
Diagnosis
The symptoms of trichomoniasis are similar to those of other infections, such as candidiasis and gonorrhea. Therefore, diagnosis of trichomoniasis usually requires a swab test. Some of the discharge from the penis or vagina is collected on a swab and sent to the laboratory for testing. Screening for trich is not performed; testing for this disease is only done if there are symptoms.
Treatment
Treatment of this disease is quite easy. Just one dose of an oral antibiotic called metronidazole usually clears the infection. It can take up to a week for the symptoms to fully disappear after the treatment. In some cases, one dose of medication may not fully treat trichomoniasis, and you’ll need to take antibiotics for a few days to fully get rid of the parasites; if your symptoms aren’t gone in a week, then you should go back to your doctor, in case you need different treatment.
It’s important for your partner to be treated as well. Women who are treated for trichomoniasis are commonly reinfected by their male partners, who often have no symptoms. Treating your partner protects him from getting symptoms, and also prevents you from becoming reinfected. If you’ve had multiple partners in the weeks prior to being diagnosed with trich, all of them should get treatment, to avoid them spreading the infection to others.
Prevention
In Singapore, trichomoniasis is increasing in frequency, along with many other sexually transmitted infections.
Trichomoniasis is spread by all sexual fluids. This includes semen, pre-ejaculate, and vaginal fluids. The best prevention for trich is to avoid mixing the sexual fluids of different people. This means using a condom when having sex, not placing your hands on your partner’s genitals and then on your own, and not sharing sex toys (you should either wash the toy between uses, or use a new condom on the toy for each person). These steps will prevent trichomoniasis as well as other sexually transmitted infections, some of which cause more serious diseases.
References
Trichomoniasis at Shim Clinic, Singapore