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Preventing STIs An STI is caused when a bacteria, virus, or parasite is passed from one person to another during sexual contact. Some kinds of sex have a lower chance of passing STIs. For example, the chance of passing an STI is much less...
You can print off the checklist provided below (under Additional Resources) and bring it with you on your next visit to your health care provider. Call ahead if you have questions about: If you need to bring ID, such as BC driver’s...
The term BDSM stands for ‘bondage’, ‘discipline’, ‘domination,’ ‘submission,’ ‘sadism’ and ‘masochism’. It is a broad term that includes many ways for people to use dominance and submission, bondage, pain and other activities for erotic...
When you are diagnosed with a reportable STI, anyone you have had sexual contact with or shared drug equipment with needs to be notified that they have been exposed to a communicable infection. This is sometimes called ‘contact...
If you have a reportable STI, a health care provider will ask you about your sexual partners, and sometimes the people you share drug-equipment with. If you want, a public health nurse can work with you to plan how you will talk to...
If you have one of these STIs, you may be wondering about how this will affect your sex life. Some common concerns include how to manage symptoms and how to talk to partners. Some people feel sad, angry, fearful or uncertain about what...
Chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics. It is the most commonly reported STI in British Columbia. Causes You get chlamydia through vaginal, oral, and anal sexual contact. This includes both penetrative sex and sexual activities...
Syphilis alternates between times when it is active and inactive. When syphilis is active, there may be symptoms. When the infection is inactive, no symptoms appear even though you still have syphilis. Syphilis can be cured with...
Trichomoniasis can be cured with antibiotics. Causes Trichomoniasis is passed through vaginal sexual contact. This includes both penetrative sex and sexual activities where there is an exchange of body fluids. You can also get...
Herpes can be managed. It is a very common STI in British Columbia. There are two types of herpes simplex virus: herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex 2 (HSV-2). HSV-1 is commonly found around the mouth and is often called "...
In most cases, PEP stops HIV from establishing itself in the body and will prevent you from becoming HIV positive. To be effective, the treatment needs to be started as soon as possible in the first 72 hours after exposure. The treatment...
Window periods are based on averages or statistics from studies. Different HIV tests have different window periods. As HIV testing technology improves, window periods may become more specific or even get shorter. HIV tests used in British...
What is anonymous HIV testing? In British Columbia, there are a number of ways that you can get an HIV test. With anonymous HIV testing your name is not attached to your result and your contact information is never collected. You are...
During this time, there are very high levels of HIV in the body. This is known as a high viral load. When a person has a high viral load, they can easily pass HIV to others. Causes When a person gets HIV, the virus makes copies called CD4...
The goal of HIV treatment is to reach an “undetectable” viral load. This means that HIV is suppressed to such a low level that the viral load test is not able to detect any virus in the blood. “Undetectable” does not mean that there is no...
The INSTI test kit is the only rapid HIV test that is licenced for use in Canada. The test uses a few drops of blood, which are taken from a finger poke. People who test negative will know their result within a few minutes. If the test is...
Gonorrhea can be cured with antibiotics. It is a common STI in British Columbia. Causes Gonorrhea is passed through vaginal, oral, and anal sexual contact. This includes both penetrative sex and sexual activities where there is an...
PrEP is different from PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), as PrEP is taken before exposure to HIV and may be taken on a long-term basis. How does it work? PrEP usually comes as a combination tablet that contains two medications called...
Causes HIV is passed through vaginal and anal sexual contact. This includes both penetrative sex and sexual activities where there is an exchange of body fluids. There is a very low chance that HIV may be passed through oral...
HAART prevents the HIV virus from making copies of itself and limits how much virus is in the body. The level of virus in the blood is called ‘viral load’. When the viral load is low or “undetectable”, there is less harm to the body’s...