HIV can also be transmitted through sharing needles and equipment for injection drug use.

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is taken before sex to protect you from acquiring HIV.

There are cost assistance programs that make PrEP medication no or low cost.

Though not currently curable, HIV can be managed with medication so well that people living with HIV, with proper care, do not transmit the virus.

You cannot get HIV from kissing, hugging, sharing food or other types of non-sexual physical contact.

You can contract or transmit syphilis by direct contact with a syphilis sore during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause serious health problems without treatment.

All pregnant people should receive syphilis and HIV testing at their first prenatal visit and receive treatment right away if they test positive.

Condoms are available for free at many locations across Nebraska. Condoms are great at preventing HIV and many STIs.

You can get syphilis again if your sex partner(s) does not receive testing and treatment.

Syphilis, and most other STIs are curable with the right antibiotics from your healthcare provider.

If you are sexually active, have an honest and open talk with your partner and get tested for syphilis or other STIs.

HIV testing and PrEP are for everyone.

You can have an STIs or HIV and not know. Not all people have symptoms when they have an STI or HIV, but they still need to be treated to prevent serious health issues and transmission to others.

Syphilis can spread from a mother with syphilis to her unborn baby, if untreated the baby can experience serious health problems.

Though HIV disproportionately affects men who have sex with men, heterosexual sexual contact still makes up around 25% of HIV transmissions each year.

PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) is similar to PrEP but is taken after sex if you think there was a possible exposure to HIV and you were not using PrEP.

It may not be obvious that a sex partner has syphilis. Syphilis sores can be hard to see and they might not have other symptoms.

By consistently taking their medication, people living with HIV are able to lower the amount of HIV in their bodies and achieve an undetectable status making it virtually impossible for them to transmit the virus to a partner.

Having syphilis once does not protect you from getting it again. Even after successful treatment, you can get syphilis again.