Good question! To start off, STIs are a common health issue that can happen to anyone, just like any other infection. All STIs are treatable, and many are even curable.
STIs can be categorized into 2 categories, bacterial (such as, gonorrhea and syphilis) and viral (such as HIV, herpes and HPV). Bacterial infections can be cured using antibiotics. While viral infections cannot be cured, they can be treated and managed. The effects vary from each STI and from person to person. If you want to read more about each individual STI, their effects and transmission, check out our info pages:
If you have questions about this topic, feel free to contact one of our peer educators. [Link]
Last Updated: April 2020
Check out our OpEd column on Internalized Biphobia written by one of our Peer Sexual Health Educators!
We like to use the term Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) here at Teen Health Source, not Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD). Did you notice? Do you ever wonder why? Well, we’re happy to tell you!