Bug and I: Let's talk about other sexually transmitted infections
HIV is not the only sexually transmitted infection. While it is the most complex because there is still no cure, STIs have many relatives. In addition to sharing some transmission routes, STIs also share stigmas and prejudices.
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By Lucas Fauno Gutiérrez (script and text) and Jon Amarillo (drawings)
HIV is not the only sexually transmitted infection. While it is the most complex because there is still no cure, STIs have many relatives. In addition to sharing some transmission routes, STIs also share stigmas and prejudices.
The last time I had one of these infections—not HIV—the guilt and social punishment combo came rushing back. As if it didn't matter how much I'd learned in recent years living with HIV, I felt incredibly bad again.
Talking to our sexual partners about STIs isn't just about mentioning when we last got tested for HIV, or whether we're undetectable, as if herpes, chlamydia, hepatitis, gonorrhea, and others didn't exist. That's why it's important to get tested regularly for all sexually transmitted infections.
We can request these tests and analyses from our primary care physician during general checkups, visits to urology, proctology, gynecology, and other specialists, who can also provide the orders for these tests. In Argentina, they are performed free of charge at public health centers.
Regular testing helps us learn more about any of these conditions if they eventually appear, such as how long we've had them, and helps us determine the appropriate treatment. The frequency and regularity of testing will depend on our sexual activity and whether we feel we've been exposed to any transmission situations.
Since many STIs are asymptomatic, you don't need to have anything unusual in your daily life to get tested. Sometimes, a discharge, a sore, or a spot might appear. Much better than Googling and worrying yourself silly—and I say this because I do it all the time—is to go to a friendly healthcare professional. Friendly: someone who, in addition to signing a prescription and providing results, can share information about STIs, prevention methods, and more.
The websites of various organizations such as Fundación Huésped and the UN, along with that of the Ministry of Health, have a lot of information available, but it is always best to have the final word with the medical services.
How much do we know about HPV? And hepatitis? How much do we know about STIs? Knowing that there's medication for many of them, that we can detect them early, understanding care, and more, helps us enjoy a better sex life. Because pleasure is also a right—it's better to talk about everything, to be informed, to take action, and of course, to enjoy it.
Useful information
Gonorrhea
https://www.huesped.org.ar/informacion/otras-infecciones-de-transmision-sexual/gonorrea/
Chlamydia
https://www.huesped.org.ar/informacion/otras-infecciones-de-transmision-sexual/chlamydia/
Syphilis:
https://www.huesped.org.ar/informacion/otras-infecciones-de-transmision-sexual/sifilis/
Hepatitis:
https://www.huesped.org.ar/informacion/hepatitis/que-son-las-hepatitis/
HPV:
https://www.huesped.org.ar/informacion/vph/como-se-trata-y-como-se-previene
https://www.telam.com.ar/notas/201805/284784-que-es-el-virus-del-papiloma-humano-o-hpv.html
Visit Presentes every Thursday to find a new installment of Bicho and me.
Bicho y yo#35: #HIV: Bicho y Yo gives you truthful info about condoms (unlike the Albino Dino)
#BichoYYo #34: “We are not finished, we are present, with information and action”
Bicho and I #33: Bicho and I to Dr. Abel Albino: “AIDS is not a virus, your words are”
Bicho and I #32: #LivingWithHIV Bicho and I and the words: “How would you prefer I call you?”
Bicho and I #31: With HIV they want me "healthy": I prefer to be a monster
Bicho and I #30: It's not our World Cup, HIV is not a game
Bicho and I #29: Bicho and I against the patriarchy: “It’s going to fall! Or better yet: we’re going to knock it down!”
Bicho and I #28: Laying the cards on the table
Bicho and I #27: The drama of the "little prick"
Bicho and I #26: Debts and progress 35 years after HIV
Bicho and I #25: #LivingWithHIV Bicho and I: From Words to Deeds
Bug and I #24: In the medical world, containment is everything
Bicho and I #23: “No one is obligated to say they live with HIV”
Bug and Me #22: Until the cure, always!
Bicho and I #21: Take a hug
Bicho and I #19 go to the movies: 120 beats per minute
Bug and Me #18: Your question is annoying
Bicho and I #17: “Yes, I live with a strain of HIV”
Bug and I #16 “It’s not contagious!”
Bicho and I #15: #8M Three women living with HIV explain why they stop
Bicho and I #14: #LivingWithHIV “Where is Bicho?”
Bicho and I #13: “We are not carriers”
Bicho and I #12: “How can you not tell me you have a Bicho?”
Bicho and I #11: HIV and AIDS are not the same
BichoYYo#10: Bicho, me and medication: “People with HIV are much more than a pill”
BichoYYo #9: We urgently need our medication
Bicho and I #8 The Dangers of Activism
Bug and I #7 Superpowers for an X-Men cover
Bicho and I #6 “Happy New Year!”
Bicho and I #5: “Nine years with Bicho”
Bug and I #4: “The scapegoat”
Bicho and I #3 “Without Grindr there is no paradise”
Bicho and I #2 “The best thing about medication”
Bicho and I #1: the comic strip that tells in the first person what it's like to live with HIV
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