Sexually Transmitted Infections

Chlamydia spreads through unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex with someone who has it.

Most people with chlamydia don’t notice any symptoms. If symptoms show up, it might take a few weeks. Common symptoms include:

• Unusual discharge from the vagina or penis

• Bleeding between periods or after sex

• Pain or swelling in the testicles

• Burning or pain when peeing

• Pain during sex

• Pain in your lower back or belly

Chlamydia can also affect your throat or the anal area. Symptoms there might include pain, discharge, or bleeding.

Testing for chlamydia is quick and easy. A healthcare provider will ask for:

• A pee sample, or

• A swab from the infected area (like the cervix, urethra, rectum, or throat).

Chlamydia is treated with antibiotics. Follow the doctor’s directions to get rid of the infection. To protect yourself and others:

• Tell your partner(s): Let anyone you’ve been with know so they can get tested and treated.

• Don’t have sex: Wait 7 days after your treatment is done before having any kind of sex.

• Use condoms: Protect yourself during all sexual activity.

• Get retested: Test again in 3–4 weeks to make sure the infection is gone.

• Inform recent partners: Tell anyone you’ve had sex with in the last 60 days.

Hepatitis B spreads through contact with the blood or body fluids of someone who has the virus. You can get it by:

• Having unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex

• Sharing needles or drug equipment

• Using shared needles, ink, or tools for tattoos or piercings

• Sharing personal items like razors, nail clippers, or toothbrushes

• Getting needlestick injuries (common for health care workers)

The virus can survive on surfaces for days and still spread.

Not everyone with hepatitis B will have symptoms, but they can still pass the virus to others. If symptoms show up, they may include:

• Feeling very tired

• Losing your appetite

• Stomach pain

• Feeling sick to your stomach (nausea)

• Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)

• Dark pee

Testing is simple and done with a blood test. It might take up to three months after getting the virus for it to show up in your blood.

Your health care provider will help you with a treatment plan and any follow-up care you need. The treatment depends on whether the infection is short-term or long-term.

Southwestern Public Health offers vaccination for Hepatitis B for those eligible. Visit our vaccine appointment page for more information.

Gonorrhea spreads through unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex with someone who has the infection.

Many people with gonorrhea don’t notice any symptoms. If symptoms do appear, they usually start 2–7 days after infection and can include:

• Burning or pain when peeing

• Unusual vaginal discharge or yellowish/white discharge from the penis

• Pain in the lower belly

• Pain during sex

• Bleeding between periods or after sex

• Burning or itching at the opening of the penis

• Pain or swelling in the testicles

Gonorrhea can also infect the anal area or throat. Symptoms may include pain, discharge, or bleeding in those areas.

Testing is quick and simple. A healthcare provider may:

• Ask for a pee sample, or

• Take a swab from the infected area (like the cervix, urethra, anal area, or throat).

Gonorrhea can be cured with the right antibiotics, although some gonorrhea strains are do not react to certain medications. 

To ensure full recovery and protect others:

• Tell your partner(s): Let your sexual partner(s) know they need to be tested and treated too.

• Avoid sex: Don’t have any kind of sex for 7 days after treatment.

• Use condoms: Protect yourself and your partner during all sexual activity.

• Get retested: Test again 3–4 weeks after treatment to make sure the infection is gone.

• Notify recent partners: Inform anyone you’ve had sexual contact with in the past 60 days.

Hepatitis C spreads through blood-to-blood contact. The virus is strong and can survive outside the body for days, even in dried blood. You can get it through:

• Sharing drug-use equipment like needles, syringes, filters, cookers, water, or tools for smoking or snorting drugs

• Using shared needles, ink, or tools for tattoos or piercings

• Sharing personal items like razors, nail clippers, or toothbrushes

• Receiving a blood transfusion before 1990

• Needlestick injuries (common for health care workers)

• Unprotected sex where blood may be involved, such as during rough sex, anal sex, or sex while on your period

• Pregnancy or childbirth if the virus passes from parent to baby

Many people with hepatitis C don’t feel sick. If you do get symptoms, they might include:

• Feeling very tired

• Losing your appetite

• Pain in your stomach

• Feeling sick to your stomach (nausea)

• Yellowing of your skin or eyes (jaundice)

• Dark urine

Hepatitis C is tested with a simple blood test. It can take up to three months after infection for the virus to show up in your blood.

New treatments for hepatitis C work very well, curing more than 90% of cases. Your doctor can help you find the right treatment and follow-up care.

Herpes spreads through skin-to-skin contact, including oral, vaginal, or anal sex with someone who has the virus. It spreads more easily when sores are visible but can still spread when there are no sores.

Some people with herpes have no symptoms or only mild ones. If you do have symptoms, they usually show up 2–20 days after you get the virus and may include:

• Itching, tingling, or burning in the genital area (early signs)

• Small blisters on the vulva, vagina, anus, penis, testicles, thighs, buttocks, or mouth

• Swollen, tender lumps in the groin

• Fever or headache

• Pain when peeing

• Body aches

A health care professional can test for herpes by swabbing a blister or sore.

There is no cure for herpes, but antiviral medicine can help manage it. These medicines can:

• Make symptoms less painful

• Lower the chance of future outbreaks

• Reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others

Your health care provider can talk to you about the best treatment for your situation.

HIV spreads when certain body fluids from someone with HIV enter your bloodstream. These fluids include:

• Blood

• Semen (including pre-ejaculate)

• Rectal fluid

• Vaginal fluid

• Breast milk

HIV is most often spread by:

• Having unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex

• Sharing needles or equipment for drug use

It can also spread through:

• Sharing needles, ink, or tools for tattoos or piercings

• Sharing acupuncture needles

• Needlestick injuries (common for healthcare workers)

• Pregnancy or childbirth (from parent to baby)

HIV is not spread by kissing, hugging, shaking hands, toilet seats, coughing, or sneezing.

Many people with HIV don’t have symptoms for years. If symptoms do show up, they might appear 2–4 weeks after infection and can feel like the flu. Symptoms may include:

• Losing weight

• Rash

• Muscle aches

• Diarrhea

• Night sweats

• Loss of appetite

Since these symptoms can happen with other illnesses, the only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested.

Testing is simple and done with a blood test. It may take up to three months after being infected for the virus to show up in your blood.

There is no cure for HIV, but treatments are very effective. With the right medication, most people with HIV can live long, healthy lives without developing AIDS. If you test positive, it’s important to let your partner(s) know so they can get tested too.

HPV spreads easily through skin-to-skin contact in the genital area. You don’t need to have sex for it to spread. It can also be passed during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

Most people with HPV don’t have symptoms. If symptoms appear, they are usually genital warts. These may:

• Show up weeks, months, or years after infection

• Feel itchy or burning but usually don’t hurt

• Be pink, white, brown, or grey and look like small cauliflower-shaped growths

• Be flat or feel like raised bumps

• Appear in clusters or as one or two warts

• Be in places you can’t see, like the cervix or anus

If you think you have genital warts, a doctor can examine them. They can also perform a Pap test to check for changes in the cervix caused by HPV. Visit our page for more information on cervical cancer screening and Pap tests. In some provinces, women over 30 can get an HPV test. Learn more about this test from the Canadian Cancer Society.

Most HPV infections go away on their own within two years, but you can still get infected again. Genital warts can be treated with:

• Freezing (cryotherapy): Removes the warts by freezing them.

• Medicated creams: Applied directly to the warts.

• Laser surgery: Used for more stubborn warts.

A health care professional can usually tell if you have molluscum just by looking at the bumps.

Molluscum spreads when you touch the bumps on someone who has the infection. You can also get it by touching things like towels, clothes, or toys that have been in contact with the virus. If you have molluscum, you can spread it to other parts of your own body by scratching, picking at the bumps, or shaving over them.

Molluscum can show up anywhere on your body. Symptoms usually appear 1–6 months after infection and can include:

• Small, round bumps that are white, pink, or skin-colored (They often have a dip in the middle and may contain a firm, white substance)

• One bump or a group of bumps

• No pain, redness, or swelling unless the bumps are scratched or irritated

Molluscum usually goes away on its own in 6–12 months, but sometimes it can take up to four years. If you have bumps on your genitals, they can be treated by freezing them with liquid nitrogen to stop the virus from spreading.

Syphilis spreads through unprotected oral, vaginal, or anal sex with someone who has the infection. Pregnant people with syphilis can also pass it to their baby during pregnancy or childbirth.

• Early stage: The first sign is often a painless sore called a chancre. It might look like an ingrown hair or pimple. The sore will go away on its own, but the infection stays in your body.

• Later stage: You might get a rash that can show up anywhere on your body or just in a few spots. You may also feel like you have the flu.

Even if symptoms go away, the infection can still cause serious health problems later if it isn’t treated.

Testing for syphilis is done with a special blood test or by swabbing any sores you have.

Syphilis is treated with antibiotics, usually penicillin. After treatment, follow-up testing is important to make sure the infection is completely gone. 

Here’s what you should do if you’ve been treated:

• Tell your partner: They may need to be tested and treated too.

• Don’t have sex: Wait until your doctor says it’s safe.

• Use condoms: Protect yourself during all sexual activity.

• Get retested: Follow your doctor’s advice on when to get tested again.