UTS 7.5

• Prevention of STDs

  1. Sex using a condom is the safest way to prevent the spread of STDs

  2. Avoid using oil-based lubricants with latex condoms

  3. Non-barrier forms of contraception do not protect against STDs
• Steps to reduce the risk of an STD

  • Abstinence
  • Monogamy to one uninfected partner
  • Vaccinations
  • Check for infections
  • Drink alcohol in moderation
  • Explain the desire for safe sex
  • Education
• Ways HIV can be transmitted

  • Blood-to-blood contact
  • Sexual contact
  • Breastfeeding
  • Childbirth
  • Sharing of equipment to inject drugs
  • Blood transfusions
• Recreational drug use


  May affect judgment and increase risky behavior
• Management of HIV

  1. Treatment can reduce the virus to undetectable levels

  2. Undetectable HIV means the virus cannot be transmitted

  3. Treatment manages the virus but does not cure it
• HIV progression

  1. Stage 1: HIV attacks the immune system, leaving the host vulnerable to infections and diseases

  2. Stage 2: If left untreated, susceptibility to infection worsens

  3. Stage 3: Progresses to AIDS, which can be fatal if untreated
• Modern medicine means that HIV need not reduce life expectancy
• Alcohol consumption

  Increases the likelihood of engaging in risky behavior