Dear Counsellor:

I am 16 years old and I am sexually active. My 18-year-old sister told me that as long as I am taking birth control pills, I would never get AIDS. Is this true?

Young and Sexy

Dear Young and Sexy:

No, not true at all. Birth control pills do not protect against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS nor does birth control pills protect you against other sexually transmitted infectious for that matter. You can become infected with HIV/STI while you are taking the birth control pills. The only sure way to protect you from getting HIV/STI is to:

❒ Abstain from sexual intercourse.

❒ Use a condom properly every time you have sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, and oral sex).

❒ Engage in sexual intercourse only with a partner who you are sure is not infected.

Even if you are taking the pill, you should use a condom if you plan to have sex.

Toilet seat STI?

Dear Counsellor:

My boyfriend has a rash on his penis, a burning whenever he urinates and a yellow smelly discharge. Although he confesses to me that he has other girlfriends, he is still insisting that he does not have a disease. He works on a construction site where several persons use the same bathroom, so he said that's how he got the infection. Can my boyfriend become infected with a sexual disease from a toilet seat?

Worried Girlfriend:

No, sexually transmitted infections do not live on toilet seats, or other everyday objects, even those on which body fluids may sometimes be found. Your boyfriend must visit a doctor immediately so that he can be properly diagnosed and treated. He must also use a condom every time he has sex. Your boyfriend needs to know that the more sexual partners he has, the greater his chances are of becoming infected with sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. You must take control of your sexual health and so encourage your boyfriend to visit a health care provider so that he can be properly diagnosed. Remember, if he is infected with a sexually transmitted infection and he has unprotected sex with you, then you could become infected also.

What are genital warts?

Dear Counsellor:

My girlfriend told me that the doctor told her she has genital warts. What are genital warts?

Lover boy

Dear Lover Boy:

Genital warts are sexually transmitted infections caused by a virus called the human papilloma virus (HPV). Symptoms of genital warts usually show up to one to six months after having sex. Some people have no symptoms. Symptoms include small, bumpy warts on the sex organs, mouth or anus, itching or burning around the sex organs. Genital warts can be passed on from one infected partner to another during unprotected sex. You should also go to the doctor so that you too can be examined and treated for genital warts if you are infected. Remember also that if you use a condom every time you have sex, this will greatly reduce your chances of becoming infected with sexually transmitted infection, including HIV the virus that causes AIDS.

For further information on condom use, contact the HIV/STD Helpline at 967-3830, 967-3764 or toll-free at 1888-991-4444 or write to AIDS Affairs c/o the Star, 7 North Street, Kingston.