What is Chlamydia?

• Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STD (bacterial STDs can be cured but may still cause serious damage to your body).
• Chlamydia is spread during vaginal, anal and oral sex.
• Often the disease has no symptoms so many people are unaware of infection.
• Over 929,000 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2004.
• Because of under-reporting, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates 3 million Americans are infected per year.
• 74% of cases reported are in persons under age 25.
• About 50% of sexually active women have had Chlamydia by age 30.

Symptoms of Chlamydia

• About 75% of women and 50% of men have no symptoms.
• When symptoms occur, they can show up 1-3 weeks after exposure and may include:

Treatment of Chlamydia

• If detected, chlamydia can be treated and cured with antibiotics.

Danger of not treating Chlamydia

• More serious infection (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in women is common)
• Damage to reproductive organs
• Possible infertility in both men and women
• Tubal (ectopic) pregnancies in women
• A mother can give it to her baby during childbirth

What is Gonorrhea?

• Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial STD (bacterial STDs can be cured but may still cause serious damage to your body).
• Gonorrhea is spread during vaginal, anal and oral sex.
• About 330,000 people were infected in the U.S. in 2004.
• 74% of cases reported are in persons ages 15 to 29.
• 70% of total cases in 2004 were African Americans.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea

Treatment of Gonorrhea

• If detected, gonorrhea can be treated and cured with antibiotics.

Danger of not treating Gonorrhea

• More serious infection (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease in women is common)
• Damage to reproductive organs
• Possible infertility in both men and women
• Can be life-threatening, if it spreads to blood and joints
• A mother can give it to her baby during childbirth, which leads to blindness

What is Syphilis?

• Syphilis is a bacterial STD (bacterial STDs can be cured but may still cause serious damage to your body).
• Syphilis is spread during vaginal, anal and oral sex or skin to skin contact.
• Over 7,900 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2004.
• Most cases were reported in men aged 30-39 and women 20-29.

Symptoms of Syphilis

1st Stage:

• Symptoms show up 10-90 days (avg. 21 days) after exposure
• A painless, reddish-brown sore(s) appears on the mouth, sex organs, breasts or fingers (where syphilis entered the body)
• Sore(s) last 3-6 weeks and go away, but infection goes to stage 2

2nd Stage:

• Symptoms show up as stage 1 sores heal or weeks afterwards
• A rash (red or reddish brown spots and no itch) anywhere on the body
• Flu-like symptoms can occur (fever, headache, muscle aches, etc.)
• Symptoms go away, but infection goes to ?late? or hidden stage

Treatment of Syphilis

• If detected, syphilis can be treated and cured with antibiotics. However, any damage done by the infection cannot be reversed.

Danger of not treating Syphilis

• Late stage syphilis can infect internal organs and cause heart disease, brain damage, blindness, and death.
• A pregnant woman with syphilis might miscarry or spread the infection to her baby resulting in serious infant health problem.

What is HIV/AIDS?

• HIV /AIDS is a viral STD (viral STDs can be treated but not cured)
• >900,000 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2004, ~136,000 of those cases were in California.
• HIV / AIDS is spread during vaginal, anal and oral sex, by sharing needles, and by contact with infected blood.

Symptoms of HIV/AIDS

• Symptoms show up several months to several years after contact with HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS.
• Virus may be present for many years with no symptoms
• Unexplained weight loss or tiredness
• Diarrhea
• White spots in mouth
• In women, yeast infections that don?t go away

Treatment of HIV/AIDS

• HIV cannot be cured and it can cause immune deficiency and death.
• Antiviral medications help the symptoms, but cannot cure the disease.

Danger of not treating HIV/AIDS

• Treatment can prolong life
• A mother with HIV can give it to her baby in the womb, during childbirth or while breastfeeding.

What is Herpes?

• Herpes is a viral STD (viral STDs can be treated but not cured)
• 45 million people ages 12 and older have genital herpes.
• One out of four women, and almost one out of five men have genital herpes.
• Genital herpes is spread during vaginal, anal and oral sex, or skin to skin contact.
• A person can get cold sores (Herpes Simplex Virus 1) by coming into contact with the saliva of an infected person.
• You also can get the herpes virus from kissing, touching, and caressing infected areas.

Symptoms of Herpes

• Symptoms vary, early symptoms may include a burning sensation, lower back pain, pain when urinating, and flu-like symptoms.
• Small red bumps may appear in the genital area. Later, these bumps can develop into painful blisters, which then crust over, form a scab, and heal. Blisters last 1-3 weeks. Blisters often come back.
• Herpes-2 typically causes genital blisters while Herpes-1 causes cold sores and fever blisters around the mouth but can infect the genital area.
• Most people have no noticeable symptoms.
• Symptoms can show up 1-30 days after exposure.
• People with symptomatic herpes often average 4 to 5 outbreaks a year.

Treatment of Herpes

• There is no cure for herpes.
• Antiviral medications help the symptoms, but cannot cure the disease.

Danger of not treating Herpes

• Treatment of outbreaks, especially when started early, shortens the duration of the outbreak and reduces the symptoms.
• A mother can pass herpes to her baby during childbirth. Herpes can cause severe birth defects or death.
• Herpes can make people more susceptible to HIV infection.

What is HPV / Genital Warts?

• Human papiloma virus (HPV) is a viral STD (viral STDs can be treated but not cured).
• HPV is most often spread during foreplay or vaginal, anal or oral sex (any skin-to-skin contact or contact with infected body fluids).
• More than 24 million people are infected with HPV.
• HPV causes 99% of cervical cancer in women. HPV also causes genital warts.
• Experts estimate that between 50-75% of sexually active people acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
• Over 6.2 million Americans contract HPV every year.

Symptoms of HPV

• Most people have no symptoms.
• Sometimes there are visible genital warts: soft, moist, pink or red swellings on or in the sex organs and anus.
• Sometimes there is itching or burning around the sex organs.
• After warts go away, the virus sometimes stays in the body; warts can come back.

Treatment of HPV

• There is no medical cure for HPV.
• Warts can be treated, but may return after treatment.
• Regular Pap smears are necessary to detect cervical cancer and other problems caused by HPV.

Danger of not treating HPV

• Warts can increase in size and spread
• Certain strains of HPV can cause cell changes in the cervix, penis or anus; sometimes these cell changes lead to cancer.
• A mother can give HPV to her baby during childbirth.
• Even after treating warts, HPV is transmittable.