12 SHOCKING facts on Sexually Transmitted Infections

1. The majority of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and diseases have no symptoms. If you are lucky, you may see signs such as discharge, burning/stinging/ abdominal pain. Most STIs have mild symptoms that cannot be recognised by most people.

2. Almost 70% of the world’s population has herpes! This is usually cold sores around the mouth. That’s 3.7 billion people! Another 418 million have genital herpes.

3. 90% of people who have herpes do not know about it as it only shows up on a general sex check up, which most people rarely get done.

4. You cannot get an STI from a toilet seat. It is usually through sex or sharing needles, clothes, bedding or razors.

5. You CAN get an STI without having sex. Unfortunately you can get an STI from tanning beds, sharing towels or razors. You can also get it from waxing your pubic areas using shared equipment. Be careful!

6. It IS possible to get an STI more than once, so getting over one disease does not mean you won’t catch it again if you are not careful.

7. STIs DO NOT go away by themselves. You can delay treatment as much as you like but you will need to see a doctor eventually if you want it gone.

8. Bad news is that even doctors cannot get rid of certain STIs such as HIV or some forms of infections.

9. Herbal remedies and Chinese Medicine can help with STIs where traditional medicine may not have helped. For example if you have a genital infection and antibiotics just don't seem to have worked, you can try Chinese Herbs.

10. It IS possible to get STIs from oral sex. It is common to get gonorrhoea, syphilis and genital herpes from oral sex!

11. The capital of the UK, London has the highest rate of STIs in the whole of the UK.

12. Many STIs are not curable. Examples are herpes, HIV, AIDs, HPV, genital warts and hepatitis B, C and D.

If you suspect you have a Sexually Transmitted Disease, you must stop having sex with others and visit your doctor ASAP.