"Maybe he gave it to me, you know. Or maybe I'm the one who gave it to him, or somebody else gave it to him... and you just wonder, where did it all begin?" - Marni Task
Although STDs are still a risk of sexual involvement, they have fallen under the shadow of HIV because of the life-threatening nature of the virus. However, people who are infected with an STD are more susceptible to HIV infection if they put themselves at risk.
Many people have the perception that STDs other than HIV are easily treated and cured. There are treatments available for all STDs; however, there is no cure for genital herpes or genital warts. If left untreated, STDs may cause sterility or cancer.
Sometimes a person can have an STD and not know it because there are no obvious symptoms. All sexually involved people need to remember this fact when making sexual decisions. If a person is sexually involved, condoms are the best way to protect against infection with STDs, including HIV.
Fast Facts
Of the 12 million new STD infections in the United States each year, two-thirds (8 million) occur in people under 25, and one-fourth (3 million) are teenagers. About one in four sexually experienced teens acquires an STD annually.8
Teens are at high risk for STDs in part because of biological factors. Young people have immature immune systems that are less able to fight off infection. Young women have cervical tissue that is different from that of older women, and it is more vulnerable to infection.9
Because of their anatomy, women are more susceptible to STD infection than men, are less likely to have symptoms, and are more difficult to diagnose. But men can (and do) become infected with STDs.10
Discussion Questions
1. Why are people embarrassed to talk about or obtain treatment for STDs other than HIV?
2. What can the media do to better inform the public about STDs?
3. Why don't people protect themselves from STDs, including HIV?
STD Facts
At least 20% of
adult Americans, and perhaps twice that many, have a viral STD for which there is no cure. These lifelong STDs are genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV, or genital warts), hepatitis B, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS.
Bacterial STDs - including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis - usually can be cured by antibiotics but continue to spread at epidemic rates. Because chlamydia and gonorrhea often have no symptoms, many cases are undetected and untreated.
"It changes your viewpoint on everything. Because, I mean, your mortality is flushed right in your face." - Mathew Kleiner
The advent of AIDS makes it necessary to talk about reducing the risk of HIV infection. While discussing safer sex is often difficult, practicing it may be even more difficult. (For example, a person may find it uncomfortable and strange to use condoms in a situation that was previously pleasurable without them.) Learning how to enjoy one's sexuality despite these changes is a complicated process for many adults.
Young people who have grown up during the age of AIDS often feel cheated. As they are beginning to understand and explore their sexuality, they must also become proficient in understanding the risks of sexual involvement; utilizing the methods of protection; and negotiating protection - or abstinence - with a partner.
The issue of behavioral change is complicated. It involves many forces including motivation, self-image, and family support. Information alone can not eliminate the social and psychological pressures that often lead to risky behavior. The fact is, that changing one's behavior is nerve-wracking and scary to people of all ages. Yet, having access to life-saving information is an important prerequisite to healthy behavioral change.
To practice healthy sexual decision making, individuals must feel that safer sex as well as abstinence are supported and encouraged by one's partner and the larger community. In addition, all people must feel that their lives are valued so that they are motivated to remain safe.
Fast Facts
It is estimated that half of all HIV infections have occured in 15 to 24 year olds since the beginning of the epidemic.11
The age at the onset of HIV infection in America is declining.12
Heterosexual sexual transmission is the most frequently reported mode of acquiring HIV for women.13
Discussion Questions
1. Was there a time in your life when you had to change your behavior in order to stay healthy or become healthier? What was most challenging about attempting or making that change?
2. What are the everyday challenges of people who are living with HIV/AIDS? How can you support them and others at risk for HIV infection?
