Believe it or not, contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) can be as simple as shaking hands. That’s right, some infections can be transmitted in ways other than sexual contact. So how does one get an STD without having sex? Here’s the scoop…
1. HPV
Although HPV has become a buzzword of sorts over the last decade, a lot of people still don’t understand that you don’t have to be sexually active to catch it.
In fact, the human papillomavirus - which is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, mother to baby by pregnancy, labor, or nursing, and sex (of course) - comes in a variety of strains. HPV can cause genital warts and other precancerous lesions, reports the Mayo Clinic.
READ: The STD Black Women Don't Talk About (But Should)
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To make matters worse, warts don't have to be present for you to catch it since the virus can spread even if there isn’t an outbreak. Although there is no cure for the infection, a doctor can prescribe medication to get rid of the warts or use various techniques, like freezing or cutting them off. However, the disease may still sit dormant in your system and recur over time.
2. Molluscum Contagiosum
Molluscum contagiosum. Although it may sound like a Harry Potter spell, this skin infection resulting in round, firm, painless bumps is not a game. Spread by way of skin-to-skin contact, like handshakes and hugs, these bumps can multiply easily, resulting in panic.
Fortunately for those with the viral infection, the bumps “usually disappear on their own,” the Mayo Clinic states. In addition, they can be removed using medications and other procedures.
3. Trichomoniasis
This virus can live on an inanimate objects (like a dirty bath towel or vibrator) for a long period of time after someone carrying the infection touches it. Sounds like a nightmare, right? Mostly presenting itself as a vaginal infection with a foul-smelling discharge accompanied by itching and irritation, Alyssa Dweck, M.D., an OB/GYN in Westchester, New York, and coauthor of V Is for Vagina tells Women’s Health, states, “there’s no clear-cut information on how long the virus can live.” In other words, keep it clean ladies!
4. Herpes
Also called HSV, herpes simplex virus infection, herpes can be transmitted through kissing, dirty used razors and even sharing utensils with someone carrying the virus. While there are two types of the herpes virus, HSV-1 and HSV-2*, OB/GYNs are moving away from distinguishing between them as much as each can pop up wherever, whenever. Much like HPV, there is no cure for either herpes strain.
*HSV-1 doesn't usually recur, while type 2 is more recurrent.
Bonus: Lastly, while some may not consider going “down under” real sex, because it doesn’t involve penetration, please believe that performing any sexual act orally or anally leaves you at risk for transmitting sexual diseases like chlamydia, herpes and HPV.
