&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;Written by Dr.Natthakhet Yaemim (Dr.Deyn) Founding Director.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #999999;&quot;&gt;Last update: 2 March 2021&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-heading__text&quot;&gt;Common STDs Spread by Skin Contact&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-7&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;Transmission via skin-to-skin contact is possible for a number of different infections. The STIs where skin-to-skin contact poses the biggest risk for transmission include the following.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-10&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-subheading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-subheading__text&quot;&gt;Genital and Oral Herpes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-11&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pulse-clinic.com.sg/herpes-simplex-virus-hsv&quot;&gt;Herpes&lt;/a&gt; is an STD that most people fear contracting from skin-to-skin exposure. Contact with these very contagious sores can pass herpes from person to person.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;In fact, most people with oral herpes are infected during childhood. Casual contact, such as with relatives, can lead to herpes transmission. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can be either oral or genital. However, HSV-2 is more often found in the genitals.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-19&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-subheading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-subheading__text&quot;&gt;Human Papillomavirus (HPV)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-20&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Both cancer-causing HPV varieties and the HPV varieties that cause&amp;nbsp;genital warts&amp;nbsp;are easily spread through skin contact. Fortunately, vaccines can prevent this.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-22&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Early HPV vaccination can prevent the most prevalent cancer and wart-causing varieties. However, ideally, vaccination should occur before people become sexually active. That&#39;s why initial vaccination is recommended at age 11 or earlier, though it is possible to get it later.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-28&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-subheading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-subheading__text&quot;&gt;Syphilis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-29&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;There is a growing concern about this disease spreading through contact with mouth sores during oral sex. Most people think of syphilis as an easily preventable disease. It is and it isn&#39;t.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-31&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;When sores are covered by a condom, condoms help. However, sores in the mouth and on other skin locations may go unrecognized and untreated. Those sores can still be contagious. That&#39;s why testing is still important for high-risk groups.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-37&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-subheading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-subheading__text&quot;&gt;Molluscum Contagiosum&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-38&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;This skin disease is more often thought of as a disease of childhood than an STD. However, molluscum contagiosum sores can be spread during sex as well.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-40&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Although generally a painless infection, if the sores break open, they can become infected by other bacteria. Therefore, it&#39;s worth talking to a doctor about treatment. You can also cover sores to prevent skin-to-skin contact since treatment can be difficult.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-4&quot; class=&quot;comp inline-video mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-inlinevideo mntl-block&quot;&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;mntl-sc-block-inlinevideo__video-container_1-0&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block-inlinevideo__video-container mntl-block&quot;&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;mntl-sc-block-inlinevideo__video_1-0&quot; class=&quot;jwplayer jw-reset jw-state-idle jw-stretch-uniform jw-flag-aspect-mode jw-skin-mantle jw-breakpoint-3 jw-floating-dismissible jw-flag-user-inactive&quot; tabindex=&quot;0&quot; role=&quot;application&quot; aria-label=&quot;Video Player&quot; aria-describedby=&quot;jw-shortcuts-tooltip-explanation&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;jw-aspect jw-reset&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-5&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-list-item-title mntl-sc-block health-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-heading__text&quot;&gt;There is a High Risk of Infeciton&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-2&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;STDs&amp;nbsp;aren&#39;t transmitted every time people have sex. However,&amp;nbsp;they can get around pretty quickly.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If one infected person has&amp;nbsp;unprotected sex&amp;nbsp;with a new partner each year, and each of them has unprotected sex with one new partner a year, and these partners each did the same, in 10 years the first person could have passed their STD on to over 1,000 people.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If each person has&amp;nbsp;sex with two&amp;nbsp;new partners&amp;nbsp;a year, that number goes up to more than 59,000.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;list-sc-item_1-0-3&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-list-item list-sc-item mntl-block&quot;&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;content-list-sc_1-0-3&quot; class=&quot;comp content-list-sc mntl-sc-list-item mntl-sc-page mntl-block&quot; data-sc-sticky-offset=&quot;60&quot; data-sc-ad-label-height=&quot;24&quot; data-sc-ad-track-spacing=&quot;100&quot; data-sc-min-track-height=&quot;250&quot; data-sc-max-track-height=&quot;600&quot; data-sc-breakpoint=&quot;54em&quot; data-sc-load-immediate=&quot;1&quot; data-sc-content-positions=&quot;[300,600,900,1200,1500,1800,2100]&quot; data-bind-scroll-on-start=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;span id=&quot;screening-is-essential&quot; class=&quot;heading-toc&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-10&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-list-item-title mntl-sc-block health-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-heading__text&quot;&gt;What are STIs that mostly show no symptom?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-12&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Chlamydia (A-K)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Chlamydia (L1-L3 that causes LGV)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Trichomoniasis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Herpes (is transmissible even when a person isn&amp;rsquo;t having an outbreak.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;HPV (is transmissible even when a person isn&amp;rsquo;t having a warty lesion.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;HIV (is transmissible even when a person isn&amp;rsquo;t having any symptoms.)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Mycoplasma infections&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Ureaplasma infections&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-16&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div id=&quot;list-sc-item_1-0-4&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-list-item list-sc-item mntl-block&quot;&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;content-list-sc_1-0-4&quot; class=&quot;comp content-list-sc mntl-sc-list-item mntl-sc-page mntl-block&quot; data-sc-sticky-offset=&quot;60&quot; data-sc-ad-label-height=&quot;24&quot; data-sc-ad-track-spacing=&quot;100&quot; data-sc-min-track-height=&quot;250&quot; data-sc-max-track-height=&quot;600&quot; data-sc-breakpoint=&quot;54em&quot; data-sc-load-immediate=&quot;1&quot; data-sc-content-positions=&quot;[300,600,900,1200,1500,1800,2100]&quot; data-bind-scroll-on-start=&quot;true&quot;&gt;
&lt;h2 class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block health-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://cms.pulse-clinic.com/Files/Skin-to-Skin%20contact_EN.jpg&quot; width=&quot;900&quot; height=&quot;506&quot; /&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-45&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block health-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-heading__text&quot;&gt;Does Safe Sex Guarantee Safety?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_1-0-46&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;STIs that are transmitted by skin-to-skin contact may be difficult to&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;fully&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;prevent by safer sex. That&#39;s because&amp;nbsp;barriers do not necessarily cover all potentially infectious skin.&amp;nbsp;Condoms and other barriers may prevent transmission of STIs such as HIV and hepatitis&amp;nbsp;that spread through bodily fluids. These STIs are spread by exposure to infected secretions such as blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. (Which secretions are infectious varies by disease.) Remember, though, HIV does not spread by casual contact or skin-to-skin contact.?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-14&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-list-item-title mntl-sc-block health-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-heading__text&quot;&gt;Screening Is Essential&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-16&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;The only way to tell if you or your sexual partner has an STD is to be tested.&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-inline-citation mntl-dynamic-tooltip--trigger&quot; data-id=&quot;#citation-5&quot;&gt;5&lt;/span&gt; Before starting a&amp;nbsp;new sexual relationship&amp;nbsp;both you and your partner should be tested for the most&amp;nbsp;common STDs.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Practicing safer sex reduces the risk of skin-to-skin STI transmission from diseases such as&amp;nbsp;herpes&amp;nbsp;and HPV. The more skin that&#39;s covered, the less likely sores are to touch uninfected skin.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-17&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;If you aren&amp;rsquo;t comfortable having your&amp;nbsp;regular doctor&amp;nbsp;examine you, testing can also be done at a family planning or&amp;nbsp;STD clinic.&amp;nbsp;Many clinics&amp;nbsp;even have free, or highly subsidized, tests for people with limited incomes.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-18&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;But even if your tests come back negative, the best way to keep them that way is to consistently practice safer sex. After all, it can take a while for STD tests to be accurate. In addition, sometimes people have multiple sexual partners, which means there are multiple potential routes for exposure.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-14&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-list-item-title mntl-sc-block health-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mntl-sc-block-heading__text&quot;&gt;What Kind of Screening Does PULSE CLINIC Offer?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li id=&quot;mntl-sc-block_2-0-16&quot; class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Consultation with experienced friendly medical doctor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Rapid accurate screening for HIV, Hepatitis A B C virus, Syphilis&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;STIs DNA test (NAAT PCR) for 7-14 infections at one test using urine specimen&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;STIs DNA test (NAAT PCR) for 7-14 infections at one test (throat, vaginal, cervical, anal, rectal swab)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;text-decoration: underline;&quot;&gt;References&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Malhotra M, Sood S, Mukherjee A, Muralidhar S, Bala M.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3818592/&quot; data-component=&quot;link&quot; data-source=&quot;inlineLink&quot; data-type=&quot;internalLink&quot; data-ordinal=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Genital chlamydia trachomatis: An update&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;The Indian Journal of Medical Research&lt;/em&gt;. 2013;138(3):303-16.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/std/life-stages-populations/adolescents-youngadults.htm&quot; data-component=&quot;link&quot; data-source=&quot;inlineLink&quot; data-type=&quot;externalLink&quot; data-ordinal=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Sexually transmitted diseases&lt;/a&gt;. Updated December 7, 2017.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/sexually-transmitted-diseases&quot; data-component=&quot;link&quot; data-source=&quot;inlineLink&quot; data-type=&quot;externalLink&quot; data-ordinal=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Sexually transmitted diseases&lt;/a&gt;. Updated August 6, 2015.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Planned Parenthood.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/get-tested&quot; data-component=&quot;link&quot; data-source=&quot;inlineLink&quot; data-type=&quot;externalLink&quot; data-ordinal=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Get tested&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sauerbrei, A.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-015-0922-8&quot; data-component=&quot;link&quot; data-source=&quot;inlineLink&quot; data-type=&quot;externalLink&quot; data-ordinal=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Herpes genitalis: diagnosis, treatment and prevention&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd&lt;/em&gt;. 2016;76(12):1310-1317. doi:10.1055/s-0042-116494&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/stdfact-herpes-detailed.htm&quot; data-component=&quot;link&quot; data-source=&quot;inlineLink&quot; data-type=&quot;externalLink&quot; data-ordinal=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Genital herpes &amp;mdash; CDC fact sheet (detailed)&lt;/a&gt;. Updated January 31, 2017.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/latex.html&quot; data-component=&quot;link&quot; data-source=&quot;inlineLink&quot; data-type=&quot;externalLink&quot; data-ordinal=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Condom effectiveness. Fact sheet for public health personnel&lt;/a&gt;. Updated March 5, 2013.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;

Can Sexually Transmitted Infections Spread By Skin Contact?