Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are illnesses transmitted by sexual contact. STDs comprise a large and diverse set of disease entities which include viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, and arthropods. Many of these diseases can cause great harm before symptoms are detected.
Vaccines are not widely available for STDs. A vaccine has recently been released for protection against certain, but not all, strains of HPV.
It is important to note that personal abstinence until marriage is NOT a guarantee against contracting these illnesses, as it is often the case that one partner in a marriage may not be a virgin and may have an STD which he can then transmit it to the other partner.