STI Spread Activity & Infection Overview
Preparation: Make a bag for each student in the class. Gather of 11 types of items. There should be about 4
times as many items as there are students, & chlamydia should be represented the most. Fill each bag with 4
items. On the board, draw a side-section of male genitals, female genitals, & uterus with fallopian tubes and
ovaries.
I. Clinic Overview (5 minutes): Location, cost, services, & registration/minor consent
II. Activity (3 minutes):
Hand each student a bag. Have students stand up, hold onto 1 item, and then choose to disperse the other 3
items into other peoples’ bag.
What did we just simulate? Unprotected sex with many people whose history and status you don’t know
III. Infection Overview (45 minutes):
Hand out STI Checklist. Encourage students to take notes during the presentation, & then collect responses at
the end.
Disclaimer: We are talking about STIs. We need to be sensitive & respectful when doing so. You do not know
the experiences of others in the room. STIs are very common. 1 in 2 people in the US will have an STI by the
time they are 25 years old. Many STIs are curable, & it is very important to regularly get tested.
Infection: Chlamydia
Bacteria/virus? Bacteria
Treatable? Yes
Curable? Yes
How is it cured? Antibiotics
*The #1 bacterial STI amongst US teens
Boys’ symptoms: Usually no symptoms. There can be a couple drops of clear or milky discharge. There could
be irritation when peeing.
Girls’ symptoms: Usually no symptoms. There could be dark brown spotting in between periods.
Illustrate on picture (where it affects): Head of penis, cervix, butt, & mouth
How to prevent: Wear barrier methods, avoid contact with another’s genitals, get tested & treated
Transmitted via: Bodily fluids
Infection: Gonorrhea
Bacteria/virus? Bacteria
Treatable? Yes
Curable? Yes
How is it cured? Antibiotics
Boys’ symptoms: A lot of discharge, burning when peeing, sore throat
Girls’ symptoms: Some discharge, sore throat
Illustrate on picture (where it affects): Vagina, penis head, mouth, butt
How to prevent: Wear barrier methods, avoid contact with another’s genitals, get tested & treated
Transmitted via: Bodily fluids
What happens if an STI is untreated?
For boys, an untreated infection could travel to his testicles.
For girls, an untreated infection could become PID.
Infection: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
*The complication of an untreated STI (such as chlamydia or gonorrhea)
What’s a pelvis? Hips area
Who has a pelvis? Everyone
Who can get PID? Girls
Why do only girls get PID? Girls’ reproductive organs are inside their pelvis
Bacteria/virus? Bacteria
Treatable? Yes
Curable? Yes
How is it cured? Antibiotics
Boys’ symptoms: A testicles infection could lower sperm count or render infertile
Girls’ symptoms: No symptoms or fever, abdominal pain, pain when walking, sitting, or having sex
Illustrate on picture (where it affects): Uterus & fallopian tubes
What happens if untreated? The girl could die, or become infertile. The fallopian tubes can rupture, or can
get scar tissue & the eggs can’t pass. If the egg is fertilized in the fallopian tube, this is an ectopic pregnancy,
which is also life-threatening.
How to prevent: Wear barrier methods, avoid contact with another’s genitals, get tested & treated
Infection: Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Bacteria/virus? Virus
Treatable? Yes
Curable? No
How is it treated? Typically, most infections will go away but there are 4 strains that can cause cancer
Boys’ symptoms: Genital warts
Girls’ symptoms: Genital warts—if they are inside the vagina on the cervix, then she can’t see or feel them
There are over 100 strains of viruses that can cause warts on the body. There are about 30 strains of viruses
that can cause warts on the genitals. There are 4 strains of HPV that can cause cancer.
Illustrate on picture (where it affects): Anywhere you can get a genital wart—Labia, scrotum, base of penis,
head of penis, shaft of penis, mouth, butt, or cervix
How to prevent: Both boys & girls can be vaccinated against HPV. Wear a condom to cover the warts. Avoid
contact with warts.
Transmitted via: Skin to skin contact
Infection: Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)
Bacteria/virus? Virus
Treatable? Yes
Curable? No
How is it treated? Topical cream or freezing
Boys’ symptoms: Burning or tingling, fluid-filled blisters
Girls’ symptoms: Burning or tingling, fluid-filled blisters
HSV Type 1: Cold Sores
HSV Type 2: Genital warts
Type 1 can be spread to genitals, & Type 2 can be spread to mouth/throat. HSV can be spread even if there is
no outbreak.
Illustrate on picture (where it affects): Mouth, penis, labia, cervix, & rectum
How to prevent: Wear barrier methods. Avoid contact with sores. Talk with partner(s) about sexual & STI
history.
Transmitted via: Contact with sores
Infection: Crabs (Public Lice)
Bacteria/virus? Neither—Parasite
Treatable? Yes
Curable? Yes
How is it cured? Shampoo/cream insecticide & comb out pubes. Shave all hair. Get checked again by a health
professional.
Boys’ symptoms: Itching, can see small brown dots & white eggs. The dots (lice) look like freckles.
Girls’ symptoms: Itching, can see small brown dots & white eggs. The dots (lice) look like freckles.
Illustrate on picture (where it affects): Pubic hair
How to prevent: Avoid contact with pubic hair & pubic area.
Transmitted via: Skin to skin contact
Infection: Syphilis
Bacteria/virus? Bacteria
Treatable? Yes
Curable? Yes
How is it cured? Antibiotics
Boys’ symptoms: Painless sores (chancres), rash on hands & bottoms of feet
Girls’ symptoms: Painless sores (chancres), rash on hands & bottoms of feet
Illustrate on picture (where it affects): Anywhere you can have sex
How to prevent: Wear barrier methods, avoid contact with another’s genitals, get tested & treated
Transmitted via: Contact with an open sore
Infection: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Bacteria/virus? Virus
Treatable? Yes
Curable? No
How is it treated? Antiretroviral drugs
Boys’ symptoms: Rapid weight loss, sick with an opportunistic infection, body aches, fever, chills
Girls’ symptoms: Rapid weight loss, sick with an opportunistic infection, body aches, fever, chills
Illustrate on picture (where it affects): The virus is in the bloodstream. It attacks the T4 cells so that your
body cannot fight off infections.
How to prevent: Use clean needles, wear barrier methods, avoid contact with another’s genitals, get tested &
treated
Transmitted via: Blood & bodily fluids
“Infection”: Pregnancy
90% chance that sexually active teens will get pregnant within a year if not using contraception
3 options: Parenthood, Adoption, & Abortion
How to prevent: Hormonal birth control (combined with barrier methods to prevent STIs) or abstaining from
penis in vagina sex
“Infection”: Uninfected
This means you abstained from contact with another’s genitals, or you wore barrier methods, and/or you
were previously infected & got tested & treated
IV. Trivia (3 minutes):
What is the most common symptom? No symptoms
What are the 2 main types of STIs? Bacterial & Viral
What is the main difference between bacterial & viral? Bacterial is curable; Viral is treatable
How can you prevent contracting an STI? Avoid contact with another’s genitals, use barrier methods,
encourage partners to be tested (& treated)
How do you test for chlamydia & gonorrhea? Urine test
When should you get tested for STIs? At least once a year if you are sexually active with only 1 partner, or if
you or your partner has symptoms, or if you get a new partner(s), or if your partner(s) gets a new additional
partner(s)
STI Checklist
Chlamydia
How do you get it?
Exchange of bodily fluids
Skin to skin contact
Sharing needles
Contact with sores
Symptoms
Pain when urinating
Discharge
Sores/bumps
Fever, flu-like symptoms
Can have no symptoms
How can you prevent getting it?
Wearing barrier methods
Avoiding genital-to- genital contact
Avoiding sharing needles
Can it be cured?
Yes
No
What happens if you don't get tested &
treated?
Can spread to a partner
Other diseases
Sterility
Death
Gonorrhea
HPV
Herpes
Pubic Lice
Syphilis
HIV