They may feel that it is very difficult to tell a person that you may have brought an STD into that relationship, because it might decrease trust and cause the partner to feel betrayed. It is critical that we work to decrease the stigma associated with STDs and instead treat them as a health problem, not a moral or ethical issue. STDs are real health problems that affect real people and should be addressed as such. The most important thing is to keep the line of communication regarding STD testing open and to talk about STDs with your partner before becoming sexually active. It is crucial to get tested, know your partner s status, communicate about STDs, and continue the use of condoms for protection.
Health facilities exist that are in place solely for the purpose of treating STDs.
If we can help people and let them know that treatment is available and encourage them to tell their partners, fewer new cases of STDs should occur. Almost all men and women think people should tell their sexual partner if they have an STD, but men and women who have had an STD struggle with telling their partners, and often tell them after the face, if at all. Americans may find it difficult to be as open about STDs as they want to be in part because of the stigma STDs carry. However, those who have had an STD say it is much harder to tell their partners than most men and women think it would be. There were 15.3 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the US in 1996.