Yukon Communicable Disease Control (YCDC)

The Yukon has a high rate of people who have Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

STIs are infections passed from one person to another through sexual contact. STIs can be caused by viruses, bacteria or other germs.

People with STIs often have no symptoms, so you or your partner could have one without knowing it. Some STIs can cause serious health problems, while others can easily be treated.

If you are unsure if you have an STI, you should get tested. Call YCDC or your community health centre.

Common STI symptoms People with STIs often have no symptoms. For example, up to 70% of females and 50% of males with Chlamydia have NO symptoms! That is why it is so important to get tested.

Some common symptoms of STIs are:: unusual discharge (yellow, green or brownish liquid) or a bad smell coming from the penis, rectum or vagina; pain or burning when you pee or have intercourse; tingling or itching in your penis or vagina; redness or inflammation around your penis, vagina or anus; painful or swollen glands in the groin area; unusual bleeding or spotting between periods or after sex; sores, lesions, bumps, blisters or a rash on your penis, vagina or anus; mild to severe pain around the vagina, penis, pelvic (lower stomach) area or anus; fever or headache

How STIs are passed from person to person Some sexual activities put you at a higher risk of getting and STI. Other activities have a much lower risk, and some have no risk at all.

High risk:: having vaginal or anal sex without using a condom; using a sex toy that someone else has used; IV drug use, tattooing, skin piercing or acupuncture with unsterilized, used needles
Low risk:: giving or receiving oral sex using a latex barrier/condom; kissing or touching each other’s genitals: infections like oral herpes (cold sores) can be spread to the genitals from the partners mouth; giving or receiving vaginal or anal sex using a condom; injecting with a used needle that has been cleaned with bleach and water
Hardly any risk:: giving or receiving oral sex using a latex barrier on a woman or a condom on a man; massage, touching, masturbating or being masturbated as long as there is no contact with your partner’s semen or vaginal fluids; using sex toys that no one else has used; injecting with a new needle

How to protect yourself from STIs

Practice safer sex:

USE CONDOMS every time you have vaginal or anal intercourse. Condoms prevent the exchange of body fluids and some dry skin contact. A male or female condom is good protection against gonorrhea, Chlamydia, syphilis and HIV/AIDS. It also offers some protection against genital warts, herpes and hepatitis B. But remember that not even condoms offer 100% protection against STIs; use condoms or latex dental dams for oral sex to reduce your chances of getting infections like Chlamydia, herpes or gonorrhea; it’s a good idea not to have many sex partners and not to have sex with someone who has many partners – multiple sex partners can increase the risk of getting an STI; if you are sexually active, have regular checkups, vaginal exams and STI tests; talk to your partner about safer sex and using condoms and find out whether your partner has engaged in risky behavior; avoid using sex toys that have not been cleaned in between partners as exchange of body fluids is possible
Try to be in control:: if you are a teen, think about waiting to have sex until you are ready and able to practice safer sex; avoid having sex when either you or your partner are drunk or high; Many Yukoners in their teens or twenties have said that they find it harder to use a condom when they drink or are on drugs.
Avoid blood-to-blood contact especially if there is a risk of hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV/AIDS: injecting drugs exposes you to many health risks including infections that can be spread by either blood to blood or sexual contact; don’t share needles, syringes, cotton balls, or rinse water if you inject drugs and consider getting vaccinated to protect yourself against hepatitis B; don’t share personal care items that might have blood on them like razors or toothbrushes; consider the risks of getting a tattoo or body piercing if the tools have someone else’s blood on them or if the artist or piercer does not follow good health practices; clean up blood spills with 1 part bleach to 9 parts water to disinfect or kill the hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV virus
Protect your baby:: If you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, speak to your health care provider about STI testing.

Kinds/Types of STIs There are many different types of STIs. The most common type of STIs in the Yukon are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Genital Herpes and HPV.
Bacteria cause STIs like Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. These STIs can be cured with antibiotics.
STIs caused by viruses, like Genital Herpes, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and HIV cannot be cured with medication. However, medication can help with the symptoms.
These pdfs contain information on different STIs. If your computer does not have Adobe Reader, you can download it for free.

What is involved in an STI test? You may be a bit scared or embarrassed to have an STI test. That’s normal. You need to know that the nurses at YCDC and Community Health Centres are non-judgmental, will respect your privacy and are there to help you. Taking care of you health and that of your partner is a smart decision.

Nurses, like all health care providers can’t tell anyone that they saw you at YCDC or the Health Centre or what your appointment was for. The only person that needs to know is you and the nurse.

When you come for an STI test the nurse will ask you some questions to determine what infection you need to be tested for, as that will affect what kind of test you need. Tests can include:

blood sample
urine sample
swab from inside the vagina or the tip of the penis, throat or rectum

STI tests are not painful. They may be a little uncomfortable, but only for a short time.

Many men many consider the swab test the most frightening part of STI testing. For this test, a small swab is entered at the tip of the penis. The swab doesn’t go very far and it only stays there a few seconds. Many men who have had this examination report it’s not that bad at al.

Tests usually take 20-40 minutes. Depending on the kinds of tests you had, you will get results in 7 to 10 days.

For more detailed information on STIs contact YCDC or your community health centre. You can also call the Yukon Sexual Health information line at 1-877-YK-STYLE (1-877-957-8953).

it's free & easy at YCDC or your community HEALTH center