Vaccination against HPV and hepatitis B can also help prevent certain infections.
The best prevention plan depends on a person’s health, sexual activities, partners, and circumstances. A clinician or sexual health service can help identify the most appropriate measures.
- Why Symptoms May Not Appear Immediately
One common misconception is that a person will quickly know if they have acquired an STI.
In reality, different infections have different incubation periods, and some never produce noticeable symptoms.
A person can feel healthy while still carrying an infection that can be transmitted to someone else.
This is one reason that judging a partner’s health by appearance is unreliable. It is also why assumptions about someone’s previous relationships do not provide a dependable assessment of STI risk.
Testing recommendations vary according to the type of exposure and the infection being considered. Testing too early can sometimes produce a negative result even when an infection is developing, so a healthcare professional may recommend repeat testing.
