Chancroid is a bacterial infection. It is spread by sexual contact and there are periodical outbreaks that sometimes occur during a year, although the last major outbreak happened more than three decades ago. This disease is more common globally than it is in the United States and those who are at the highest risk of developing chancroid tend to regularly sleep with prostitutes. In the US, it tends to be more common in the inner cities of the East and the South.
Statistics About Chancroid
1. In the United States, there were only 143 cases reported for the last year on record, which was 1999.
2. Occasional outbreaks may occur, but are rather rare themselves.
3. For a US resident, the chances of having a chancroid infection occur: 1 in 1.9 million.
4. In the UK, there were only 4 consultations for chancroid at a hospital in 2002-2003, and all of them were men.
5. 3 out of those 4 consultations, however, required hospitalization.
6. The average length of stay for a hospitalization of chancroid: 5 days.
7. About 11 people are infected with chancroid per month.
8. It is estimated that just 50 people per year in the United States are diagnosed with chancroid.
9. From a worldwide perspective, 1 out of every 4 teens has had at least once instance of this disease.
10. It is most common in third world countries and places where there are tropical climates in ever season.
11. The average person who is diagnosed with chancroid is a man between the ages of 25-35.
12. Chancroid cannot be spread to infants during childbirth if a mother has an active bacterial infection.
13. Sometimes the immune system can remove a chancroid infection on its own, but this makes people more susceptible to a future infection.
14. Lymph node infections occur in 50% of the diagnosed cases of chancroid that occur.
15. Most women with chancroid have no symptoms but they can carry and spread the disease without knowing it.
16. Most women have 4 or more sores which can run together to form one long narrow ulcer.
17. Chancroid takes on the appearance of a ulcer as it fills with pus after the first day.
18. 1 out of every 2 cases of chancroid will spontaneously disappear.
19. Since the 1950’s, this disease has been rapidly declining in most industrialized countries.
20. The 1980’s outbreak in the US was linked to immigration and prostituion.
21. Chancroid is most often mistaken for syphilis.
Signs and Symptoms
Chancroid is one of the more painful sexually transmitted diseases that someone can have. Symptoms typically begin about 4 days after exposure, but it can be up to 10 days before any symptoms begin. The most common sign that there is a chancroid infection is an open, draining sore that is in the genital region. These are very painful and there are usually swollen lymph nodes that are painful to the touch as well.
Any sexual contact can spread chancroid. Sexual intercourse is not always necessary for chancroid to be spread either. As long as there is skin on skin contact with an infected sore or draining lesion, then the bacteria can spread to someone else. The danger of chancroid goes beyond just having the painful sores. The bacteria can make it easier to obtain HIV and for men, it can destroy the foreskin tissues. Because the sores are open, they can also become infected with other germs as well.
The best way to prevent chancroid transmission is to stop having sexual contact if you have an open lesion. Latex condoms, when used correctly, can reduce the chances of transmission if they are able to cover the sore or prevent contact from one. The good news is that because this is a bacterial infection, it can be easily cured by using medication that is prescribed by your doctor. Another infection can occur after being treated, however, and any sexual partners should be treated at the same time.
Treatments
If you have a red bump that forms and bleeds easily in your genital region, then there is a good chance that you might have received a chancroid infection. As the statistics show, as long as this bacterial infection is treated early, there is nothing to worry about from this STD.
It is when there isn’t treatment received and there are multiple sexual partners that chancroid can become a problem. This is especially true for men, as the skin on the penis can actually degrade as the bacteria work on spreading. The open sores also become the perfect medium for other infections because there is direct blood and body fluid exposure. Because women may not even realize they have a sore or an ulcer, it is very important for men to immediately seek treatment and then inform their sexual partners so they can receive treatment as well.
When you seek treatment, you will still be requested to undergo STD testing. It is important to make sure that all possibilities are eliminated so that a proper treatment regimen can be implemented. A typical treatment for chancroid is a single dose of a antibiotic that is injected or taken orally. Some antibiotic treatments may need to be taken for up to 7 days, however, and if there are buboes present from swollen lymph glands that have broken through the surface of the skin, they’ll need to be drained.
Sometimes local surgery is recommended instead because of the extent of an infection. Plastic surgery is necessary for extensive cases where ulcers were so large that they creating scarring. Chancroid infections also require quarterly follow-ups to make sure that the disease was completely eliminated. By practicing safe sex options, including when oral sex is involved, the chances of the bacteria being transmitted can be greatly reduced. Use protection, wash with soap and water after intercourse, and many cases can be prevented even with an infected partner.