Module 4

1
Module 4

• Living Responsible Sexual Health

2
Session I Sexually Transmitted Diseases

• Workshop Objectives and Aims
• To become familiar with issues related to STDs
• To become familiar with health problems
  associated with STDs
• To become familiar with preventing and treating
  STDs

3
Lets Talk About It

• What are sexually transmitted diseases?
• Can an STD be silent?
• Name five symptoms associated with STDs?
• Can you reduce your risk for STDs?

4
Sharing the Knowledge

• Men of Color are disproportionately affected by
  Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), including
  HIV/AIDS.
• A majority of STDs are silent. Many STDS fail to
  produce any signs or symptoms, or they produce
  symptoms so mild that they are often overlooked.

5
Sharing the Knowledge

• STDs only are diagnosed through testing.
• STDs cause health problems including pelvic
  inflammatory diseases, ectopic pregnancy,
  infertility, chronic pelvic pain, genital
  lesions, genital neoplasm, adverse pregnancy
  outcomes, immune system dysfunction, liver
  disease and death.

6
Did You Know?

• Symptoms of STDs include the following bumps,
  sores or warts near the mouth, anus, penis, or
  vagina swelling or redness in genital area skin
  rash painful urination weight loss, loose
  stools, night sweats aches, pains, fever,
  chills jaundice discharge from penis or vagina
  (discharge may have a foul odor) bleeding from
  vagina (other than period) painful sex and
  severe itching.

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Getting Treated See a Health Professional

• HIV/AIDS Since AIDS is not curable, treatment
  focuses on keeping HIV levels in check.
  Antiretroviral drugs are the standard therapy for
  HIV infection.
• Chlamydia and Gonorrhea These STDs are treated
  with antibiotics. You should begin taking them if
  tests show you have the infection or if you have
  been exposed to it, even though you may not have
  symptoms.

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Getting Treated See a Health Professional

• Genital herpes Once you are infected with
  genital herpes, the virus remains in your body
  for life. After the first outbreak, herpes may
  flare several times per year, but these flares
  may lessen over time. Antiviral medication (such
  as Zovirax, Famvir, and Valtrex) can help reduce
  the length and severity of both the initial and
  subsequent outbreaks.
• Genital warts There is no standard of treatment
  for genital warts. Most genital warts will
  disappear without treatment, so your doctor may
  choose to do nothing. However, you will still
  carry the virus that causes warts and can still
  transmit it to sex partners.

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Getting Treated See a Health Professional

• Syphilis Penicillin is the preferred treatment
  for syphilis. Early treatment is crucial to
  prevent the bacteria from spreading to and
  damaging other organs.
• Hepatitis B The goal of hepatitis B treatment is
  to stop liver damage by preventing the virus from
  spreading. There are now 5 drugs approved for use
  in Hepatitis B in adults and promising new drugs
  on the horizon. They are interferon alpha,
  pegylated interferon, lamivudine, adefovir and
  entecavir.
• Trichomoniasis (Trich) Infection by this
  organism is treated with the drug metronidazole,
  and the cure rate is about 90.

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Your Opinion MattersConnecting the Knowledge
Inside

• What are some of the ways men of color put
  ourselves at risk for STDs?
• Is it easy to ask your sexual partner about their
  sexual history?
• Are monogamous relationships more difficult for
  men or women? Why?

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Wrap-Up

• Quiz / Main Messages
• LIVE WELL!

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Session II HIV/AIDS

• Workshop Objectives and Aims
• To become familiar with issues related to
  HIV/AIDS
• To become familiar with health problems
  associated with HIV/AIDS
• To become familiar with preventing and living
  with HIV/AIDS

13
Lets Talk About It

• What is HIV?
• What is AIDS?
• How is HIV transmitted?
• What are the treatment options for HIV/AIDS?

14
Sharing the Knowledge

• Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is the
  virus that causes acquired immune deficiency
  syndrome (AIDS).
• The virus weakens a person's ability to fight
  infections and cancer.

15
Sharing the Knowledge

• Having HIV does not always mean that you have
  AIDS. It can take many years for people with the
  virus to develop AIDS.
• HIV and AIDS cannot be cured. Although the cause
  of death for most people with AIDS is due an
  AIDS-related illness, there are ways to help
  people stay healthy and live-longer.

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Sharing the Knowledge

• According to the 2000 census, African-Americans
  made up approximately 13 of the US population,
  but accounted for 49 of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses
  in the U.S.
• The rate of AIDS diagnoses for African-American
  men was 8 times the rate for white men

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Sharing the Knowledge

• You may get HIV Sharing a needle to take drugs
  or having unprotected sex with an infected
  person.
• You cannot get HIV from
• Touching or hugging someone who has HIV/AID
  public bathrooms or swimming pools.
• Sharing cups, utensils, or telephones with
  someone who has HIV/AIDS.
• Bug bites.

18
Did You Know?

• Of all African-American men living with HIV/AIDS,
  the primary transmission category was sexual
  contact with other men, followed by injection
  drug use and high-risk heterosexual contact

19
Your Opinion MattersConnecting the Knowledge
Inside

• What are some of the common myths you have heard
  about HIV/AIDS?
• Why do you think it is difficult for communities
  of color to face HIV/AIDS crisis?
• What do you think the community can do to better
  address this crisis in the US and in Africa,
  Haiti and in the Diaspora?

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• Everyone should know their HIV status.
• KNOW YOUR STATUS!
• GET TESTED!
• World AIDS Day
• 1 December
• AIDS Awareness Week
• 1 week prior

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Wrap-Up

• Quiz / Main Messages
• LIVE WELL!