- A person can always tell if she or he has an STI.
False. People can and do have STIs without having any symptoms. Women often have STIs without
symptoms because their reproductive organs are internal, but men infected with some diseases
like Chlamydia may also have no symptoms. People infected with HIV generally have no
symptoms for years after infection.
- With proper medical treatment, all STIs except HIV can be cured.
False. Genital warts and herpes, STIs caused by viruses, cannot be cured at the present time.
- The organisms that cause STIs can only enter the body through either the woman’s
vagina or the man’s penis.
False. STI bacteria and viruses can enter the body through any mucus membranes, including
the vagina, penis, anus, mouth, and in some rare cases, the eyes. HIV can also enter the body
when injected into the bloodstream from shared needles. It can also be passed from mother to
child during pregnancy, delivery or through breast-feeding.
- You cannot contract an STI by masturbating, holding hands, talking, walking, or
dancing with a partner.
True. STIs are only spread by close sexual contact with an infected person. Anyone can be infected by having oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse with a partner who is infected.
- Practicing good personal hygiene after having intercourse should be encouraged.
True. While personal cleanliness alone cannot prevent STIs, washing away your and your partner’s
body fluids right after intercourse is good hygiene. Washing does not, however, prevent
pregnancy or stop HIV from entering the body through the mucus membranes in the mouth,
anus, penis, or vagina.
- It is possible to contract some STIs from kissing.
True. It is rare, but possible to be infected by syphilis through kissing if the infected person has
small sores in or around the mouth. The herpes virus can be spread by kissing if sores are present.
HIV is not passed through saliva, and could only be transmitted through kissing if both people had open sores in their mouths or bleeding gums.