ORAL SEX IS RISKY

Licking is risky - Doctor warns
By: Alice Aryeetey
MEN who engage in oral sex have been cautioned against the act, since they stand the risk of getting infected with candidiasis of the throat.
According to Dr Prince Tamakloe, the Head of the Microbiology Department at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, a female carrier could easily infect her partner through oral sex.
Oral sex is when you stimulate your partner’s genitals with your mouth, lips or tongue.
Candidiasis is an infection caused by a yeast-like fungus called candida. It can infect the mouth, vagina, skin, stomach and urinary tract. According to experts, 75 per cent of women will get a vaginal yeast infection during their lifetime, while  90 per cent  of all people with HIV and AIDS develop candida infections.
However, candidiasis of the throat also known as oral candidiasis results from an oral yeast infection or fungal infection that starts in the mouth and spreads down the oesophagus.
Oral candidiasis infections are most often recognised from symptoms such as burning and pain in the mouth or throat, fever and oral lesions.
Some visible signs include a heavily coated or discoloured tongue and cracks around the mouth. Other signs are cravings for sugar, alcohol, bread or carbohydrates, fatigue, depression, muscle aches and joint pain.
Dr Tamakloe noted that if not treated well it could cause infertility in women and prolonged throat cancer in men.
He advised women to dry their underwear in the sun and not indoors to prevent mouldy conditions.
Experts advise that those suffering from the ailment should eat balanced diet and avoid alcohol, sugar, white flour, refined or processed carbohydrates, milk and anything containing yeast. Also sufferers must disinfect their toothbrushes by dipping them  in  hydrogen peroxide for a few minutes before and after each brushing to prevent re-infection.