Additional Information:

• HPV is a virus and is not curable with treatment.
• Most HPV infections do not cause symptoms.
• Most HPV infections go away by themselves.
• HPV is passed by vaginal and anal sex, and once in a while by oral sex.
• HPV is extremely common; most sexually active persons catch it at least once.
• Genital warts are the most common visible sign of HPV infection.
• Warts of the genital or anal area are usually a minor health problem, but they can sometimes cause bigger problems; they can get very large and become infected or block urine (pee).
• Some HPV types cause cervical cancer in women and anal cancer in men who have sex with men or, much more rarely, cancer of the labia in women and the penis in men.
• The main protection against cervical cancer is the Pap smear, which detects changes caused by HPV many years before cancer itself appears.
• Newborn babies rarely catch the virus from the mother during birth, resulting in warts of the mouth and throat (respiratory papillomatosis).
• Warts of non-genital areas, such as the hands and feet, are caused by different HPV types and are not sexually transmitted.

Risk:

What do you think are your risks?
What do you do to reduce your risk of getting an STD?

Recognition:

What are your symptoms?
Do you know that some STDs cause NO symptoms?

Response:

Stop having sex.
Get tested and treated at a clinic or doctor's office .
Treat your partner(s). This reduces reinfection.

Testing Sites:

GLCC Confidential Hepatitis and Syphilis testing 2nd Friday of the month (2:30-4:00)

Broward County Health Department 780 SW 24^th Ave. Ft. Lauderdale, FL (954) 788-6095 (954) 847-3567

Adult Evening Men’s Clinic phone number is (954) 202-3622, operating hours (Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 7 pm)

Resources and information

CDC national STD/HIV hotline numbers:

800-227-8922 or 800-342-2437;

Spanish 800-344-7432;

HPV is a large family of viruses that infect the skin, often causing irregular cell growth or warts. There are more than 60 types of HPV. Some types of the virus are transmitted by nonsexual personal contact and cause common skin warts. Several types of HPV are spread by sex and primarily infect the genitals or anal area. Of the sexually transmitted types, some cause cancer and pre-cancerous changes of the cervix, anus, or the skin of the penis or female genitals. Other types cause warts of the genitals or anal area. Genital warts are the most common symptoms of HPV infection. However, most HPV infections do not lead to either warts or cancer; most infections go away by themselves, without causing any symptoms.

HPV infections are believed to be the most common of all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); most sexually active persons get at least one HPV infection, usually without ever knowing it. At any time, somewhere around 20 million to 40 million Americans are infected with sexually transmitted types of HPV, and the frequency of infection and disease appears to be increasing.

Most HPV infections cause no symptoms at all. However, some infections cause warts of the genital or anal areas and others cause cancer or pre-cancerous changes.

The types of HPV that cause cancer and pre-cancerous changes are called "high risk" types. Most infections with high-risk HPV types do not lead to cancer; the immune system is able to remove the virus before it causes problems. When it does occur, cancer takes time to develop. First HPV causes abnormal cells to grow. It usually takes 5 years to 10 years, or even more, for cancer to develop. This is why Pap smears are so important for women; a Pap smear can detect these abnormal cell changes so that they can be treated before they lead to cancer. At this stage, the disease is easily cured by minor surgery to remove the abnormal cells. Therefore, a woman who gets regular Pap smears every one to three years is almost 100% protected from getting cervical cancer. Research is going on to learn whether Pap smears of the anus might help protect men who have sex with men from developing anal cancer. Other cancers due to HPV (cancer of the penis in men or vulva in women) are extremely rare and usually show up first as a wart-like growths.

Genital HPV is only transmitted through skin-to-skin contact during sex; infected skin of one-person rubs against the skin of the other person and transfers the virus. Almost all infections are acquired through vaginal or anal intercourse, but rarely HPV may be transmitted by oral-genital sex. The male condom is not as effective at preventing HPV transmission as it is for the prevention of other STDs; the male condom does not prevent all skin-to-skin contact during sex. The female condom provides wider coverage and therefore might offer greater protection. Most infections do not have symptoms--no warts or Pap smear abnormalities-- but transmission of the virus is possible even though there are no visible signs of infection. Infants born to infected mothers may become infected, usually in the mouth or throat. 

Because most genital HPV infections do not have symptoms and millions of people already are infected, HPV infection is very difficult to prevent. On the other hand, most HPV infections remain entirely silent and never cause serious health problems, so it may be less important to avoid HPV than it is to prevent most other STDs.

• Abstinence from all sexual activity (not having vaginal, anal, or oral sex) is the surest way to avoid becoming infected with HPV.
• The next surest way is to limit sexual contact to one uninfected partner who only has sex with you (mutual monogamy). If either of you has ever had another sexual partner, it is likely that you could already be infected with genital HPV and pass it to your partner.
• For those choosing to be sexually active, condoms should be used correctly and consistently to minimize transmission.
  Please Note: The male condom is not as effective at preventing HPV transmission as it is for prevention of other STDs; the male condom does not prevent all skin-to-skin contact during sex. The female condom provides wider coverage and therefore might offer greater protection.
• Avoid sexual contact with a new partner if you or your partner has untreated, visible warts (or bumps that might be warts) on or near the genital area, or if either partner has newly diagnosed (untreated) Pap smear abnormalities. However, it probably is not necessary to avoid sex with an ongoing partner. If you suspect that you might have genital warts or other HPV infection (or any sexually transmitted disease), seek immediate medical care.
• Before having sex, talk with your partner(s) about HPV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Negotiate a risk reduction strategy with them that feels comfortable to both of you.
• You should notify your current sex partner if you have HPV. If you have newly diagnosed genital warts, you should also inform any partners you had sex with in the 3 months before your warts appeared.

Genital warts usually are diagnosed just by examining them carefully; an experienced health care provider usually can tell whether a bump is a wart by looking at it, sometimes using a magnifying glass.

A Pap smear can determine whether a woman has pre-cancerous changes caused by HPV. A newly developed test for HPV itself sometimes is used to help determine how to treat women with Pap smear abnormalities. However, testing for HPV is not recommended for healthy persons; there is no treatment for silent HPV infection and most infections never cause health problems.

When a woman with Pap smear abnormalities has a further examination, a biopsy often is done examine the tissues more carefully than is possible by the Pap smear itself. (A biopsy is the removal of a piece of tissue for examination under a microscope.) Once in a while, a biopsy also is done for genital bumps or warts, especially if the diagnosis is uncertain or the provider suspects cancer or a pre-cancerous lesion.

No treatment is recommended for most HPV infections. Treatment is only recommended if there are visible warts or Pap smear abnormalities. No antibiotics or other drugs kill HPV; treatment depends on destroying or removing abnormal tissues, such as warts, pre-cancerous cellular abnormalities, or cancer itself. Even when these tissues are removed or destroyed, HPV often persists in surrounding areas. Therefore, although the symptoms of HPV can be treated, HPV infections themselves usually cannot be cured. Most warts and pap abnormalities will eventually go away on their own, even if not treated.

Genital Warts

Several treatments are available for genital or anal warts. The best choice depends on such things as the size and location or the warts, convenience, and cost. Patients should consult their doctors to determine the best treatment for them.

There are two classes of treatment, those that are applied by the health care provider and those that the patient can use at home. There are no approved "over-the-counter" treatments that do not require a prescription or treatment by a health care provider. Never attempt to treat warts without a doctor's guidance.

Patient-applied Treatments:

The two main treatments that can be used by the patient at home are podofilox (CondyloxTM) and imiquimod (AldaraTM). Both are creams that are applied to the warts. Podofilox chemically damages the wart and imiquimod works by stimulating the body's immune system, which in turn destroys the wart. Both require several weeks of repeated treatment and both can cause irritation and soreness of the treatment area. Pregnant women must avoid both of these treatments.

Provider-applied Treatments:

The most common provider-applied treatments are:

• freezing the warts, usually using liquid nitrogen
• trichloroacetic acid, which chemically "burns" the wart and
• podophyllin resin, which is similar to podofilox but must be applied in the doctor's office.

All of these require several treatments over at least 2 or 3 weeks. Freezing usually works fastest, but can be somewhat painful. All three can cause soreness and irritation around the treated area. Some warts are best treated by directly removing them with surgery or by destroying them with electrocautery (burning) or laser treatment.

None of these treatments works in all cases; if the first treatment doesn't completely clear the warts, another method usually is successful. With all methods, warts sometimes return and repeat treatment sometimes is needed. But also remember that most warts will eventually go away on their own, even if not treated.

High-Risk HPV Infection

Infection with high-risk HPV types, usually diagnosed because a woman has an abnormal Pap smear, is only treated by removing or destroying the infected tissues. The most common method is a kind of office surgery called "loop electrocautery excision procedure", or LEEP. If early cancer is present, more extensive surgery may be necessary. The best treatment is determined by a specialist individually for each patient.

A mother with genital warts (or with silent infection with the wart-cause types of HPV) can pass the infection to her infant during birth. Genital warts sometimes enlarge during pregnancy. Some treatments may harm the baby in the womb and must be avoided during pregnancy.

Resources and information 

• National Institutes of Health Fact Sheet
• Genital and Anal Warts
• Genital Warts Information
• Planned Parenthood: Human Papilloma Virus: The Facts
• HPV Types and Hosts

CDC national STD/HIV hotline numbers:
800-227-8922 or 800-342-2437;
Spanish 800-344-7432;
TTY 800-243-7889 Testing Sites:

GLCC Confidential Hepatitis and Syphilis testing 1^st and 3^rd Fridays (2:30-6:30)

Broward County Health Department 780 SW 24^th Ave. Ft. Lauderdale, FL (954) 788-6095 (954) 847-3567

 The Adult Men’s Evening Clinic 1900 East Commercial BLVD at Holly Cross Hospital (954) 788-6001 Wed.-Thu. 4:30-7:00 p.m. only for men.

Resources and information

CDC national STD/HIV hotline numbers:

800-227-8922 or 800-342-2437;

Spanish 800-344-7432;

Three Simple Facts:

Additional Information:

• Gonorrhea can easily be cured with antibiotics.
• Gonorrhea can lead to unusual discharge from the vagina and/or bleeding in women.
• Gonorrhea can cause discharge from the penis and/or burning while urinating (peeing) in men.
• Gonorrhea is usually passed by vaginal or anal sex, and sometimes by oral sex.
• Gonorrhea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women and testicle infection (epididymitis) in men.
• Gonorrhea can lead to infertility in women.
• It is important for pregnant women to be tested for gonorrhea.

Risk:

What do you think are your risks?
What do you do to reduce your risk of getting an STD?

Recognition:

What are your symptoms?
Do you know that some STDs cause NO symptoms?

Response:

Stop having sex.
Get tested and treated at a clinic or doctor's office .
Treat your partner(s). This reduces reinfection.

 Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacteria known scientifically as the gonococcus, or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Gonorrhea is sometimes called "the clap". Most infections involve the cervix and vagina, the penis, the rectum or sometimes the throat. Gonorrhea is easily treated with a single dose of antibiotic.

It is estimated that 500,000 to 600,000 cases of gonorrhea occur annually in the United States. Health economists estimate that the annual cost of gonorrhea and its complications is close to $1.1 billion.