• Most commonly acquired viral STI
• Infects skin & mucus membranes, primarily in genital area

How do you get it?

• Skin-to-skin contact (including some skin that condoms don’t cover) during sex (vaginal, anal or oral) or during other intimate genital contact (such as mutual masturbation); contagious even without symptoms.

How will I know if I’m infected?

• Most don’t know they are infected
• Some have warts in their genital area
• Most strains clear the virus naturally within two years
• Certain strains cause cervical cancer

How is it treated?

• Warts can be treated, but they sometimes return
• A Pap test can detect cervical cancer in early treatable stages

• Chlamydia: Most commonly reported bacterial STI
• Gonorrhea: Second most commonly reported bacterial STI

How do you get it?

• Sex (vaginal, oral or anal) with infected person; contagious even without symptoms

How will I know if I’m infected?

• Most don’t know they are infected
• Those who are sexually active need to be tested for these infections at least once a year
• Symptoms can include pain when urinating or a discharge coming from the penis or vagina
• Infection can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• PID can cause severe abdominal pain and difficulty in getting pregnant

How is it treated?

• Can be treated with antibiotics
• Treatment of infertility is expensive and not always successful

• Extremely common parasite that causes genital infection

How do you get it?

• Contact with infected body fluids during vaginal sex; contagious even without symptoms

How will I know if I’m infected?

• Most don’t know they are infected
• Females may notice a thin, watery vaginal discharge, vaginal irritation and pain during sex
• Both females and males may have burning when they urinate

How is it treated?

• Can be treated with oral medication

• Common infection caused by herpes simplex virus

How do you get it?

• Sex (vaginal, oral or anal) with an infected person or during other intimate genital contact (such as mutual masturbation); contagious even without symptoms

How will I know if I’m infected?

• Most don’t know they are infected
• Symptoms can include blisters or sores in genital area, pain and burning during urination
• Symptoms may also include cold sores and fever blisters around the mouth
• If you have one painful skin outbreak, you almost always have other outbreaks

Antiviral medications help, but can’t cure the disease

• Highly contagious bacterial infection

How do you get it?

• Direct contact with highly infectious sores or patches; these are usually on the genitals or mouth
• Sex (vaginal, oral or anal) with an infected person or during other intimate genital contact (such as mutual masturbation); contagious even without symptoms

How will I know if I’m infected?

• You may get a painless, unnoticed ulcer that goes away in a few weeks
• Next you may have flu-like symptoms and a rash
• Advanced untreated syphilis can cause paralysis, blindness, bursting of major blood vessels and death

How is it treated?

• Can be treated with antibiotics
• Treatment can prevent further damage but will not repair any damage already done

• HIV is a virus that invades the immune system and destroys it over time; this reduces a person’s ability to fight off infections and cancer.
• People with HIV usually develop AIDS, which can be fatal

How do you get it?

• Contact with infected blood or from body fluids during anal, vaginal or oral sex; contagious even without symptoms
• Risk is greatly increased if you have anal sex, multiple partners or shoot drugs
• Having other STIs increases the risk of getting HIV

How will I know I’m infected?

• At first, you may have flu-like symptoms (tiredness, fever, aches); you may have no other symptoms for years
• If you develop AIDS, you may get multiple infections that other people fight off easily

How is it treated?

• Most people with HIV can prolong their lives by taking several medications every day for the rest of their lives; these drugs are expensive and may have side effects

• A common viral bloodborne infection

How do you get it?

• Sex (anal or vaginal); contagious even without symptoms
• Needle sharing when shooting drugs
• Tattoos or body piercings with a previously used (unsterile) needle

How will I know if I’m infected?

• Many don’t know they are infected
• May cause liver damage, which may make your skin and eyes turn yellow (jaundice), and make you feel tired and nauseated
• Can cause cancer and death

How is it treated?

• There are a few antiviral medications that can be tried; these medications are expensive, have to be used for a long time, may have side effects and don’t always work

• The most common viral chronic bloodborne infection in the U.S.

How do you get it?

• Needle sharing while shooting drugs (most common)
• Tattoos or body piercings with a previously used (unsterile) needle
• Sex (anal or vaginal); contagious even without symptoms
• Having other STIs increases the risk of getting Hep C

How will I know if I’m infected?

• Most don’t know they are infected
• May cause liver damage, which may make your skin and eyes turn yellow (jaundice), and make you feel tired and nauseated
• Can also cause cancer and death

How is it treated?

• There are a number of medications that can be tried; these medications are expensive, have to be used for a long time, may have side effects and don’t always work