#stis

Here at Scarleteen, we love talking about how we can manage risks when we’re engaging in sexual activities. We also believe that our sexual health is holistic: What is going on in the rest of our body affects our sexual well-being too. And there are other ways we exist in the world that also expose us to risks. The COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of what we're talking about. Getting sick with COVID can put your health at serious risk, especially if you’re infected multiple times. As health-conscious people who also care very much about protecting our community, especially our friends and loved ones who are immunocompromised or already living with a disability, we think it’s really important to continue doing everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We need to help protect our community members who are more vulnerable. Much like how, when engaging in sexual activity, we try to prevent the spread of STIs.

And that’s exactly what this article is about! Writer Liz Duck-Chong explores what treating COVID-19 like an STI would look like. What regular practices can we implement to keep ourselves and our community healthy? What conversations can we be having to reduce stigma around both having COVID-19 and also working to prevent its spread?

Whether it’s COVID or STIs, communal health is everyone’s responsibility! So check out Liz’s article and read up on best practices for protecting yourself and your loved ones from COVID (and STIs too, these practices will work for both!)

that’s REALLY scary! I’m so sorry that happened, that sounds like a terrifying thing to survive. I’m glad that you are still here and humbled you shared your story with me

that sex partner’s logic is wild. getting punched in the face isn’t as bad as getting hit head-on by a train but I still don’t want it to happen to me or anyone else I’m playing with

the fucked up thing about STIs is that they are ALIVE and some are genetically distinct from each other. how they affect you is also based on your unique organs, health, and genetics. one case could be asymptomatic and one could kill you dead. there’s no way to know until you’re sick and tested 😭

Good question! I assume you're referring to this post I reblogged, which references that.

So, this is actually a funny thing about the term STI/STD; its not an actual type of infection, it's simply a category people apply to certain infections, in certain contexts.

So, molluscum, in children, is a common infection and not generally referred to as an STI.

But it can also be transferred through sexual activity, so if you're an adult or older teen, its more likely to be referred to as an STI because you're more likely to have caught it through sexual activity.

Sir Pentious: Sure...

Cherri: You have protection?

Just a decade ago, syphilis infections among infants were nearly eradicated in Canada. Yet there were warning signs the bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) — known for causing painless sores, organ damage, and stillborn infants — was making a comeback. First, rates started rising among adults in the early 2000s, followed by an alarming spike in congenital infections passed from mothers to their babies.  The latest federal data shows there were nearly 14,000 cases of infectious syphilis across the country in 2022, as well as 117 instances of early congenital syphilis. That's a nearly 15-fold increase from just eight nation-wide cases of syphilis reported in infants five years earlier. "When I started in clinical practice, just over 20 years ago, we'd see syphilis like every couple months," said Patrick O'Byrne, a nurse practitioner with Ottawa Public Health's sexual health clinic. "And I would say it's now daily."

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Where is this claim I'm not worried about STIs coming from, or that I'm waving away the negative impacts? I genuinely don't know what you're talking about.

I'm very fortunate to be able to access PrEP to prevent HIV and to have clinics I can attend, but I am absolutely vulnerable to various STIs from clients and I have no idea why you imagine I wouldn't be. I offer unprotected services for a higher rate because I need the money badly, and in the UK clients are typically unwilling to use condoms for oral regardless. I get checked often and encourage everyone to do so, because untreated some STIs can have serious consequences. Syphilis is a particularly scary one to me, because there's a period after initial symptoms where it's dormant and you seem better before it is suddenly giving you severe cognitive issues.