If you think you could have caught an STD, go to your doctor or an STD clinic immediately. The sooner STDs are diagnosed and treated, the better for everybody.
The checkup should include the doctor taking a thorough history of your sexual activities and your use of drugs (if any) as well as an examination and tests. HIV infection may be the most unlikely STD you could have caught. Make sure that tests are taken for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and hepatitis B. If you’re due for a Pap smear this might be a good time to have one. If you’re still changing partners you should ask your doctor about having a hepatitis В vaccination.
You may feel angry at a partner whom you think has given you an infection. Your feelings may be justified if it turns out that he knew he was at risk. But wait to hear his side of the story. He may not know that he’s infected. There’s not much to be gained from resentment after the event. It’s often impossible to tell who infected whom. The important thing is for you both to be treated (as well as anyone else with whom either of you has had sex).
Contact tracing
If you’ve had only one partner ever, you can be pretty sure where your infection came from. If you’ve had more than one you won’t know, and you must speak to each one. How far back you go will depend on advice from your doctor. It can be very hard to front up to a partner and admit that you have an STD, especially if you think you may have caught it from someone else. But you must be honest.
Otherwise the infection will continue to spread, perhaps back to you.
STD clinics have counsellors to advise you how best to break the news and who will help to contact anyone else who may be at risk. If you can’t face the idea or don’t want to reveal your condition to a previous partner, the counsellor can do the job for you at your request.
Some STDs are ‘notifiable’
Like other serious infectious diseases, many STDs are ‘notifiable’. This means that hospitals, clinics and private medical practitioners must let the Department of Health know that they have made a diagnosis of a notifiable STD. The persons infected are not usually identified. Notification is important so that health authorities may know when public health measures should be commenced to help control infectious diseases.
Community services for sexual health
There are clinics providing counselling, education, diagnostic tests and treatment for STDs in all major cities. They are listed under ‘Health’ in the ‘Community: Health and Welfare’ index in the white pages of the telephone book. If there’s no clinic in your district, your doctor or the Family Planning Association will help.
The free AIDS Hotline listed under the ‘Community: Personal and Other Emergencies’ index at the front of the white pages of the telephone book offers counselling and information about AIDS.
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