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Make a list of situations that put the various people at risk for STD's/HIV
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Well, the first and most obvious one is unprotected sex with an infected person. This can be a way of transmitting any STD. However, other than that, it really depends on which STD you are referring to here.
For example, while HIV is surely the most feared of these conditions, it is also one of the most difficult ones to contract. It can only essentially be spread through a few bodily fluids like blood and semen or the female equivalent. It cannot be spread from kissing or anything that is casual contact.
On the other hand, HSV or Herpes Simplex Virus can much more easily be spread from contact with a person showing symptoms like cold sores.
Please take a look at the following link for a chart that gives a pretty good idea of how many of the major STD are spread - [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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1. Unprotected sexual intercourse with somebody who is HIV positive or has a sexually transmitted infection. Anal or vaginal intercourse.
2. Sharing needles with a anyone who is HIV positive.
3. Transfusion of blood from an HIV positive donor (very rare now in industrialised/highly civilised countries as blood is screened, but there were quite a few tragic instances in the early days).
Sexual contact with an infected person is the way sexually transmitted infections are passed (as one might gather from the name). Blood, semen and vaginal fluids are hosts to HIV and any exchange of these (live) fluids can transmit the virus. The virus does not live in urine, faeces or saliva. And is not airbourne/water droplet contagious (as the flu virus is, for example). Thrush/fungal infections are fungal (as one might assume) and the spores are very resillient. They can be picked up by handling the genitals quite a while after handling something with active spores on it. It isn't strictly speaking an exclusively transmitted infection by any means, but it's often included in the group. Having sex will pass it, but it's not the only way to pick it up. And despite myths, men CAN suffer from it (penile thrush aka balinitis. Red, itchy and uncomfortable head of the penis are the signs). Blood, semen or vaginal fluids which have 'dried up' present no risk of HIV at all even if they have come from an HIV+ person. They have to be live. The virus cannot 'lay dormant' in any way and become reactivated.
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