By Vivian FilerSpecial to the Guardian Published: Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 1:59 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 1:59 p.m.

April has been designated as National Sexually Transmitted Disease Awareness Month. this subject is not your usual after-dinner topic of conversation. it is instead a little discussed, but very important, one that should become the topic at some point in every family’s “tell-me-about-your-day” exchanges.

Although it is often difficult to approach the issue, it is far more devastating to allow ignorance to lead to an infection. Most STDs are treatable, but some have devastating long-range effects. certainly, HIV/AIDS is one that we cannot ignore.

In an effort to improve the awareness of this public health condition, an Alachua County Health Department press release indicates that statistically, sexually transmitted diseases remain a public health challenge both locally and nationally.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, estimates that nearly 19 million people, most of them between the ages of 15-24, will be infected each year. Although the numbers have significantly decreased since prevention and education have been the focus, there still is a profound need to decrease the prevalence of STDs. the goal of ensuring that everyone has access to STD prevention, treatment and care covers all of the levels of prevention.

The theme this year is “Talk, Test and Treat,” the three Ts to prevent the spread of STDs. by practicing these three preventive actions, we can further reduce the rate of occurrence of STDs. the goal is to talk to your partner and your health care provider about risk factors and safer sex methods, get tested by finding a close location and making an appointment, and treating the disease to avoid additional health problems.

According to Life123.com, the most common STDs are chlamydia, genital herpes, genital human papillomavirus, or HPV, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, pelvic inflammatory disease, pubic lice, syphilis and trichomoniasis.

The website emphasizes the importance of educating our teens, who should know how each sexually transmitted disease is contracted, the symptoms of each, which treatments are available, and what effects the diseases can have on them both short-term and long-term. if families are uncomfortable with this topic, they may want to access support from health care providers at the local health department or talk with their primary care physician.

First of all, parents are encouraged not to use this discussion about STDs as a tactic. In fact, the website warns against using your talk on sexually transmitted diseases to scare your child into not having sex. this statement, in my opinion, does not deny the need for ongoing discussions on sexuality with an emphasis on your family values and the benefits of making responsible decisions.

If you are looking for guidelines on how to talk with your teen, you might consider those listed below. they are:

Have regular heart-to-heart talks with your teenagers about sensitive subjects.

Find out from your teen what has been taught at school or in other settings to encourage your teen to share with you.

Write down some little known facts and tell your child you found something that surprised you. For instance, because they are sometimes used incorrectly, condoms are only about 86 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Resist the urge to lecture or preach to your child. When you initiate an open conversation and listen as much as you talk, your teen will be more likely to come to you later for advice and information and with questions or concerns.

According to the CDC, almost half of all high school girls reported that they are sexually active. about 25 percent of them became infected with a sexually transmitted disease before they graduated from high school.

According to Teresa White, the area 3/13 Minority AIDS program coordinator and Alachua County Minority Health Liaison, her current efforts are not only to reflect on the headway that has been made in fighting HIV, but also to pay tribute to the more than 16,000 lives that are lost from AIDS each year in the U.S.

Nearly 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the U.S., and one in five of those are unaware of their infections. In Florida alone, nearly 135,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS, yet 20 percent of them don’t know they have it.

We are working very closely with the community as a whole to include business partners and the faith community to address HIV/AIDS disparities and HIV-related stigma and to spark dialogue about stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS among all populations.

I hope each one of us will take the time this month to spread the word about the prevention of STDs.

Vivian Filer is a retired professor of nursing at Santa Fe College. Email your questions, with “Health Files” in the subject line, to news@gainesvilleguardian.com.

I was diagnosed with STD trich which I have mess for but I took blood test for other stds how soon should I know I just took the test yesterday. also when should I have symptoms of it if I do have it?

If you suspect a possibility of you getting HIV via sexual intercourse or needle puncture, it is protocol to wait at least 6 months before testing, or else the blood test may yield a false negative. Testing usually takes a few days.

Here, it takes about 3 days.

If you have Chlamydia/Gonorrhea but show NO symptoms, can a STD test still come up positive? should you even get tested with no symptoms?

I've read these diseases can cause permanent damage if untreated.

If you have been have been having sex then YES you should. If you have antibodies for chlamydia or gonorrhea then your test will come up positive. You can have an std with out showing symptoms, they can be carried in the body for long periods of time before they even start to show symptoms. Men don't have many symptoms of stds simply because they have strong immune systems which can help suppress symptoms. Chlamydia can cause permanent damage to the reproductive system if it's not treated.

Some STDs (such as HIV) may not have symptoms for a long time. if you get HIV, you may not have symptoms for years. The only way to find out if you have any STDs is to get tested. Don't wait until you have symptoms.

tons of STDS and you cant be sure the time the symptoms, but if your questioning this and you had sex and you feel weird "down there", or there is weird discharge you might want to go to a doctor.

Theres many std's out there so its hard to say when or if you ever do get symptoms of the sexual transmitted disease. It just basicallity all depends on the persons immune system and how it affects the blood system.

it depends, however sometimes with an STD like chlamydia you dont get any symptoms at all

some std's have no symptoms,for peace of mind go 2 the doctor

I know sometimes there are no symptoms for this STD.
But what are the usual common symptoms of HPV?

I'm learning about all the STDs ^-^ :p

HPV has different strains and different effects. some strains cause warts in different locations on the body…ever had a wart on your finger? HPV.

but most people at this site are wondering about either genital warts or cervical cancer. I hope the link has the information you need.

If i had an std that i contracted over 1-2 months ago wouldnt i have symptoms and stuff till this day? i had unprotected sex with someone and am worried.

Many STDs have no symptoms for a long time after infection. the only way to find out if you have an STD is to get tested. you can check the website hivtest.org to find free testing sites in your area. Just enter your ZIP code.

Like if you caught a disease about 2-3 months ago or longer, wouldnt u be "burning" bad by now? or atleast having symptoms of an STD?

yes you should be having some type of symptoms

it depends on what the std is.

Sometimes it could take a year. I just wouldn't sleep around and them you wouldn't have to worry about it.

Not necessarily. With some STDS, you may never show obvious symptoms.

a lot of STD's dont have symptoms for a very long time and unless you have a certain one tested, you might not know it even 3 months after you believe you contracted the disease.

No because with some STD's…you won't know until you go and specifically be tested for them.

yes, however in women they might be unnoticeable, some can also be asymptomatic. Depends entirely on the STD you have.

No. Some STDs have no symptoms at all, especially in women. and untreated STDs can cause infertility and other issues.

If it itches , ill be happy to come over and scratrch it for ya

not really. many STD's take up to 6 months to show symptoms or detect it tests.

no not at all some diseases work strangely, woman don't usually show signs of gonorrhea while men have a painful burning. it depends on the disease and the gender.

depends on what STD it is, some STD's have symptoms right away others dont. either way you should get yourself checked out just to be on the safe side, and buy yourself some condoms!!!!

No, certain STD's do not cause any symptoms, some women don't find out until years later. for instance, a woman trying to get pregnant, cannot conceive, goes to the doctor, finds out she has inflammation in her uterus and tubes caused by an untreated Chlamydia. Honestly sometimes we (women) have no symptoms. Especially HPV (virus that can cause warts or cervical cancer) sometimes you can have this virus and never know until you go for your yearly pap and have an abnormal pap… So just get checked if your worried.

Not necessarily. Some take days or weeks. You could have an std and not show symptoms for many months or years after contracting it. this is how many people don't know that they have an std until they get tested.

Oral herpes, a sexually transmitted disease, typically causes lesions around the lips and mouth, but can also cause a cold sore on the nose or face.

Oral Herpes and Genital Herpes Cause Similar Symptoms

Oral herpes , caused by herpes simplex virus 1, can commonly cause a cold sore on the lips, but may also cause a cold sore on the nose or face. The genital herpes virus, herpes simplex virus 2, can cause sores on the genitals, but it can also cause symptoms on the mouth or face when transferred during oral sex.

Confidential STD Testing Diagnoses Symptoms

If a cold sore on the nose, mouth, or lips is present, STD testing can determine the cause of symptoms. Private STD testing for oral herpes, genital herpes, and other STDs is available through at home STD testing or private lab testing. If positive, our on-staff physicians can prescribe medication for herpes. To learn more how confidential STD testing works, or place an order for a genital herpes test, oral herpes test, or other STD tests, click here.

ive had 2 utis in the past 2 weeks i am also being tested for stds..but in the meantime while i wait for results i would like to know if the medicine im taking could cover up the symptoms of an std if i have one? im really nervous and just cant wait to find out for sure!

sexually active individuals should get tested regularly at least once per year. Most importantly however, if you know you are at risk for a particular disease, speak up. the best way to truly know what is going on with your body is to call us and get tested today.

I hear that certain STDs take a long time to surface, and sometimes never show symptoms. my question is a minimum time frame for symptoms to show. anyone have an idea on this?

Some STDs that are more superficial (like crabs) could show up immediately, but that would probably be obvious. Some bacterial infections could show up after just a couple of days. Trichomoniasis is a common bacterial infection that usually shows up after 5 days to a month.

Minimum time frame would be just a couple of days.