Sexually Transmitted Diseases

What you should know and where you can learn more​...

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Chlamydia


Gonorrhea

Important Facts

  1. Anyone who is sexually active can get gonorrhea. This sexually transmitted disease (STD) can cause infection in the genitals, rectum, and throat. It is a very common infection. In Alaska more than half of all infections are in persons under the age of 30. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there is an increase in the infection among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM).

  2. Gonorrhea is transmitted from person to person by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the infection.  Pregnant women can transmit the infection to their baby during delivery which can cause serious health problems in the newborn.
  3. Some people with gonorrhea will have few if any symptoms. Symptoms in men include a burning sensation when urinating; a white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis; and painful or swollen testicles. Symptoms in women include vaginal discharge, burning during urination, and abdominal cramping. Rectal infection in both men and women can cause discharge, itching, and pain. Gonorrhea in the throat may cause a sore throat.
  4. Gonorrhea is very treatable, but treatment has to be with the correct medication. In some areas of the world, gonorrhea is developing resistance to medication so the use of the correct medication is even more important. A person should wait 7 days after treatment before having sex. All sex partners need treatment as this will prevent you from getting the infection again.
  5. You can reduce your risk of getting gonorrhea by using latex condoms correctly, abstain from sexual contact with individuals for whom you don’t know their status.
  6. You can help control the outbreak by getting testing, getting your partners notified of infection, tested and preventively treated (public health can help with this), and by getting treatment immediately for infection.
  7. Talk to your health provider about all sexual activity so every part of your body that may have been exposed to infection can be tested and treated.
  8. Having a sexually transmitted disease, including gonorrhea, can increase a person’s chance of becoming infected with HIV
  9. You should be tested if:
      • you have signs or symptoms suggesting gonorrhea
      • if you had oral, anal, or vaginal sex with someone diagnosed with gonorrhea
      • you are pregnant
      • are a sexually active man who has sex with other men of unknown status
      • are living with HIV and are sexually active with individuals of unknown status
      • are taking PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection)

Hepatitis


Herpes


Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)


Mycoplasma genitalium


Syphilis

Important Facts

  1. Everyone is not affected equally by syphilis. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to face the highest rates of syphilis. And, women have begun to experience an increase as well.
  2. Untreated syphilis can be very dangerous, leading to visual impairment, hearing loss, stroke and other neurologic problems in adults. In pregnant women, it can cause stillbirths and significant health consequences among newborns. Nationally there is a surge in cases of unborn and newborns with syphilis.
  3. Syphilis is transmitted from person to person by direct contact with a syphilitic sore. The sore can be in places you can’t see: in the mouth, rectum or vagina. So transmission can occur during vaginal, oral or anal sex. And pregnant women can transmit to their unborn child.
  4. Symptoms can be mild and not noticed. The first symptom is a sore that does not hurt and will go away on its own. As syphilis progresses, people may get a rash on their palms of their hands and the bottoms of their feet. Sometimes the rash is faint and not noticeable and sometimes it is a full body rash. Other symptoms can be patchy hair loss, raised white or gray lesions in the moist areas of the body (underarm, groin, mouth), and feeling unwell. All of these symptoms will go away without treatment, but the infection still exists and progresses. Hearing and vision can also be affected early or late in the infection.  Symptoms can appear as long as 10 to 30 years after the infection was first acquired and can be fatal.
  5. Treatment after exposure to syphilis can prevent infection. While proper treatment always cures a syphilis infection, an untreated infection may cause neurological or internal damage that is not reversible.
  6. You can reduce your risk of getting syphilis by using latex condoms correctly, abstain from sexual contact with individuals for whom you don’t know their status.
  7. You can help control the outbreak by getting testing, getting your partners notified of infection, tested and preventively treated (public health can help with this), and by getting treatment immediately for infection. Talk to your health provider.
  8. You should be tested if:
  • you have signs or symptoms suggesting syphilis
  • if you had oral, anal, or vaginal sex with someone diagnosed with syphilis
  • you are pregnant
  • are a sexually active man who has sex with other men of unknown status
  • are living with HIV and are sexually active with individuals of unknown status
  • are taking PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection)

Trichomoniasis


Warts