Book chapters

Most sexually transmitted viral infections are incurable and have consequences ranging from mild to severe. Genital warts and HPV infections are oncogenic with special reference to cervical carcinoma. Hepatitis A is a self-limiting disease. However, HBV and HCV infections can cause chronic infection of the liver which culminates in extreme suffering and death. Pregnant mothers with viral STIs transmit the infection to their newborns. Because prevention is the ultimate goal, health personnel at all levels must be knowledgeable about the prevention and treatment options for the STIs so that they can help in developing educational programs and patient education literature at mass level [2]. They also must provide efficient and sensitive counseling about prevention and treatment of various viral STIs at all levels of a healthcare service. It may be noted that simultaneous availability of new and effective preventive and therapeutic interventions like vaccines, effective microbicides, etc. render behavioral disinhibition, lack of adherence, and above all some degree of complacency among the people [1]. All these must be taken care of during the process of control and containment of viral STIs, strongly highlighting the principle of "Prevention is Better than Cure" as propagated by the Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus