How much do you know about Sexually Transmitted Infections, STIs? Some STIs such as Herpes, Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Syphilis are curable, and treatable, but others—like HIV/AIDS—can stay for life and can have serious health consequences if they aren’t treated. An STI is an embarrassing, painful and sometimes deadly casualty of sexual intercourse.Armed with the right information, they’re often preventable. But, you need to mind your ABCs. Several people who get STIs don’t know their ABCs it because the symptoms aren’t obvious. That’s why it’s so important to get all the information you can about the STIs, from A-Z.

A AIDS: Also known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS, messes with the immune system. The virus that causes AIDS is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, that can be transmitted through unprotected sex, needles, blood transfusion and breastfeeding. There is no cure, but there are medications that enable people with HIV to live long and healthy lives.

B Birth control: There are lots of different forms of birth control, from the pill to the shot to the patch, but they don’t all protect against STDs. Just condoms and female condoms do that. When you’re going to be sexually active, keep in mind birth control to prevent pregnancy but not STIs.

C Condom: This is available almost everywhere and protects against STIs as well as pregnancy. Used properly, condoms work most of the time, but they have to be used correctly, every time you have sex to prevent pregnancy.

D Diagnosis: Getting a diagnosis means getting tested by a qualified doctor or clinic at a reputable clinic.

E Education: Be informed. Know the facts. There’s so much misinformation out there, and it’s important to know what’s a myth and what’s a fact when it comes to protecting your body. Abstinence is best, but if you cannot abstain, use a suitable protection such as condom. The right education is necessary to enable utilisation of the right protection less than students who were taught different options when it came to sex.

FFemale Condom: Condoms don’t just exist for men. Female condoms are also out there. They protect against both STIs and pregnancy and like condoms for men, and can be purchased without a prescription.

G Gonorrhoea is acommon STI that causes pain while urinating and creates abnormal discharge. Not good l, but the good news is that it can be cured with antibiotics.

H Herpes is so common at least one in six people are infected. Herpes is viral, which means you can’t treat it with antibiotics. It can cause sores and blisters, and treatments for it are all about giving you fewer outbreaks and keeping you from passing it on to other people.

I It’s your sex life. So get informed on how to prevent STIs and unwanted pregnancies.

K Know Your Status. Get tested for STIs It’s important for your health and future, and important to your partner.

L Latex. It’s that stuff condoms are made of to keep you protected.
M Mercury: STIs have been around a long time, and do you know what people used prior to our modern medicine to “treat” them? Mercury! Back then, the medicine was worse than the disease…especially because mercury didn’t even work.

N Nine times out of 10, having unprotected sex with more than one person increases the risk of contracting an STI.

O Oral sex: Some people believe STIs can only be transmitted through vaginal sex. But that is not true. STIs can be transmitted from any kind of sex — oral, anal or vaginal.

P Prevention: If you already have an STI, talk to your doctor about what you can do next to reduce the risk of passing it to your partner. If you don’t have an STI, educate yourself and learn how to prevent infection.

Q Questions for your doctor. It can feel embarrassing to start a conversation about STDs but it shouldn’t be!

R Risky business. Some STIs increase your risk of becoming infected with other STIs and even HIV, so make sure to get tested and treated to protect yourself.

S Syphilis: If you get a painless sore on your genitals, anus or mouth and suspect you might have syphilis, have it looked at right away. If you detect it early enough, it can be treated with antibiotics, but doctors can’t turn back the clock. Untreated, syphilis can cause all kinds of nasty stuff, from rashes to paralysis to even death.

T Treatment: All STIs are treatable. Some go away with bed rest and antibiotics while others may need ongoing treatment. Talk to your doctor or clinic.

U Urine sample: This is one way of testing to see if you have an STI. Other tests include swabbing for cells, physical exams and blood samples.

V Vaccines: The Human Papilloma Virus, HPV, vaccines for men and women can protect against some of the most common forms of HPV.

W Warts: There are different kinds of HPV, and some types of it can cause genital warts. Just like it sounds, these warts grow around the genitals, and it might be weeks to months after you’ve caught the disease before the warts appear.

X XXX films typically don’t show people using condoms, so you kind of wonder how the stars don’t catch diseases. Well, some of them do. However they test for STIs regularly. So you are encouraged to be on the safe side and get tested.

Y Young people: STIs affect young people. One in two sexually active people will have caught an STI by the age of 25? Yet most people with STIs don’t realise they have them.

Z Zithromax is one of the antibiotics used to treat bacterial STIs, like gonorrhoea. But it cannot stop all the STIs out there so see your doctor to get tested, or if you have an STI, get treated!