Sexually transmitted infection (STI) or venereal disease (VD) is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans or animals by means of sexual contact. Sexually Transmitted Diseases or VD, in recent years is known as sexually transmitted infection (STI) as it has a broader range of meaning. It could mean that a person may be infected, and may potentially infect others, without showing signs of disease.

 For long, there has been a misconception that STI are prevalent in young women and the older one gets, the lesser the chance of getting infected. This notion has lead to many middle aged people neglecting the possibility of getting infected and ignoring protection. According to a latest data, in the past decade sexually transmitted diseases have doubled in adults over the age of 45. The alarming part of this increase is that the spread of STI’s is rising at a faster rate in adults than in the young. A recent studied has re-enforced this and has shown proof that the middle aged adults had acquired an irresponsible attitude towards their sexual health. A poll was conducted wherein over 2000 adults between the ages of 45 and 54 were questioned about their sexual habits, especially protection related issues.

Based on the study, the results show that nearly a fifth of those adults who took part in the research have had unprotected sex with someone who is not their long-term partner in the past five years. The reasons for this relaxed attitude are that many adults believe that   acquiring an infection during middle age is very unlikely and also that the chance of women conceiving during middle age is very low. About quarter of those polled were of the opinion that they trusted their partners to not have an infection. Overall, the researchers found the older generation was flippant about the risks of acquiring an STI. This research throws light on the importance of educating the adults along with the young about the dangers of unprotected sex and its irreversible consequences. More details is to be found from the source article.