STD Testing,
Facts & Prevention
in Fresno County

Quick Facts

15-24 year-olds account for half of all new STD infections.
Many STDs don’t have any signs or symptoms, so the only way to know if you have an STD is to get tested.
You can get an STD from having sex with someone who has no symptoms.
STD tests are quick, easy and sometimes FREE!
In 2015, 22% of all new HIV diagnoses were among youth aged 13-24.

If you’re sexually active, condoms are still the best way to protect yourself from STDs –even if you’re on PrEP. Only condoms can help prevent you from getting other STDs.
In California, if you’re at least 12 years old, you don’t need permission to get tested and treated for STDs. Testing and treatment is confidential, too, so your doctor can’t tell your parents or guardians.
Dental dams are used during oral sex to protect from STDs. Here’s a way to make a dental dam from a condom made of latex or polyurethane: https://bit.ly/2qaZMKx

What are STD’s?

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections that
can be passed on through vaginal, oral or anal sex, and anyone who is sexually active can get an STD. Sexually transmitted diseases are more common than you may think – and they’re on the rise nationwide and in Fresno County.

Why Get Tested

The Fresno County Department of Public Health encourages anyone who’s sexually active to practice safe sex and to get tested. By getting tested for STDs and practicing safe sex, you can protect yourself from STDs and improve the overall health of everyone in our community.

While STDs can have visible symptoms, it’s common for people to not have – or recognize – any symptoms. The only way to know if you have an STD is to get tested.

Find an STD Testing Clinic

Get a Free Home Test Kit

What is Syphilis?

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease. It has multiple stages of infection, and each one has different signs and symptoms. The third stage of syphilis, known as the latent stage, doesn’t show signs or symptoms, and the fourth stage leads to severe medical problems.

Syphilis can have serious, long-term complications if left untreated. That’s why it’s important to get tested and treated early. Another reason to get tested is because syphilis symptoms are very similar to other infections – and the longer they go untreated, the more likely the infection can intensify and spread to other partners.

Along with other STDs, you can get tested for syphilis even if you don’t have any symptoms.

What is Congenital Syphilis?

Congenital syphilis happens when a pregnant woman with syphilis passes the infection on to her unborn baby. The longer she goes without treatment the more likely the infection will have serious effects on the baby.

Congenital syphilis can cause low birth weight, miscarriage or stillbirth, and for babies born with the infection, it can cause skin rashes, deformed bones or brain and nerve problems. You should be tested for syphilis the first time you seek health care during pregnancy.

Protect your unborn baby from congenital syphilis, use a condom when you have sex and get a syphilis test at your first prenatal visit.

What is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported bacterial STD in the U.S., and nearly two-thirds of new infections occur in 15-24 year-olds. Chlamydia is known as a silent infection since most people don’t have symptoms or physical signs of the disease. If and when symptoms do appear, it sometimes isn’t until several weeks after exposure – leaving potential partners at risk along the way, and complications to arise from waiting to get treated.

The best way to prevent chlamydia is to get tested regularly and use condoms or dental dams.

What is Gonorrhea?

Gonorrhea is another common STD. Many men don’t show symptoms of this STD, but when they do, it can include a white, yellow or green urethral discharge one to 14 days after infection. Most women don’t show symptoms either, and when they do, they’re often mistaken for bladder or other vaginal infections.

Another fact: even if you’ve been treated for gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia before, you could still get infected again. Getting tested for STDs is the only way to know if you have an infection. Get treated early to avoid spreading it toother partners.

Even if you or your partner seem healthy, using condoms or dental dams is your best prevention against gonorrhea.

What is HIV?

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that can lead to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Many people with HIV don’t show symptoms for years and can feel fine, and they may not even know they have it. However, once you contract HIV, the virus stays in your body for life.

There’s no cure for HIV, though some medicines can help you stay healthy or prevent your chances of spreading the virus.

For more information on HIV services, click here.

HIV testing is easy. Some rapid HIV tests can give you results in 20 minutes. Get tested at your nearby clinic today.

Prevention

HIV is commonly spread through unprotected sex, so condoms or dental dams can protect you and your partners from getting the virus.

WHAT IS PrEP?

PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is an HIV prevention method in which people who don’t have HIV take HIV medicine daily to reduce their risk of getting HIV if they are exposed to the virus.

While PrEP can help prevent HIV, it’s not right for everyone – and it doesn’t take the place of condoms, which can protect you from
other STDs.

References on PrEP:
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/prep.html
http://www.whatisprep.org/
https://prepfacts.org/

What is PEP?

PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, is a short course of HIV medicines taken very soon after a possible exposure to HIV to prevent the virus from taking hold in your body. And every hour counts: you must start PEP within 72 hours after you were exposed to HIV, or it won’t work.

PEP should be used only in emergency situations. It is not meant for regular use by people who may be exposed to HIV frequently.

Reference sites on PEP
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/prep.html
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/hiv-aids/pep
https://www.getpep.info/learn-more/what-is-pep/

Learn About Services

Talk to your doctor about PrEP and PEP, or visit a nearby clinic to learn more. And since getting tested regularly is the only way to find out if you have HIV, it’s a good idea to get tested if you’ve had unprotected sex or if your partner tests positive for the virus. You can find more information about services here.

Visit Fresno County’s Sexually Transmitted Diseases page for a full list of resources.

Don’t Wait, Get Tested Today

The sooner you get tested for STDs, the better your chances are of treating the infection and preventing the spread of any disease. Luckily, you have a few options for testing here in Fresno County:

Locate Nearest STD Testing Clinic

Search for a fast and confidential testing clinic in Fresno County by using the CDC’s “National HIV, STD, and Hepatitis Testing” database. Just enter your zip code and find either an on-site or mail-only self-testing location near you.

Order a Free At-Home STD Test Kit

Don’t Think, Know is a new resource for people in Fresno County, ages 12 to 24, to get free chlamydia and gonorrhea testing in the comfort of their own home. Order a test kit, follow the directions to collect a sample, and mail it back to the lab. Results are typically available within one week. The site also has a list of clinics that are free or low cost to get treatment, if needed.

Order a Free At-Home HIV Test Kit

In partnership with Building Health Online Communities’ TakeMeHome program, the California Department of Public Health, Office of Aids (CDPH/OA) offers free at-home oral swab self-test kits for HIV to all individuals living in California

Want more information? Contact us!

To learn more about how to protect yourself from STDs, visit https://gettested.cdc.gov/faq-page or send us a confidential email.

Fresno County Department of Public Health Seal

1221 Fulton St
Fresno CA 93721
(559) 600-6404

STD Testing, Facts & Prevention in Fresno County