因為既沒有治癒AIDS的方法，也沒有疫苗可以對抗它，AIDS的肆虐已經迫使人們將注意力集中在預防方面。繼而，這種重新提出的疾病預防的重要性已經提醒醫務界，採用相同的預防措施，也能夠預防其他不能治癒和能夠治癒的性傳播疾病。確實，不僅地方當局，而且許多國家的政府和國際機構現在已經再次意識到性傳播疾病預防的重要性，而且正在投入巨大的努力支持這種舉措。除了傳統的預防措施以外，諸如供血安全措施、為診斷的目的對病人進行的檢測和追蹤感染者的性接觸生活史等，現在還有了越來越多的力圖改變高危險行為者的性行為方式的努力。這種行為改變的目標正在兩個口號之下被推行：“節欲”和“安全性行為”。[下圖的英文：安全的性（安全性行為）或婚內的性（結婚之前節制性欲）。英文的措辭比中文的更簡潔、更押韻和更醒目——譯者注]。

AIDS has forced people to concentrate on its prevention, since there is neither a cure for it nor a vaccine against it. This renewed interest in prevention has, in turn, reminded the medical profession of other incurable and curable STDs that could profit from the same measures. Indeed, not only local health authorities, but many national governments and international organizations have now once again recognized the importance of STD prevention and are making great efforts to support it. In addition to traditional measures like safeguarding the blood supply, testing patients for diagnostic purposes and tracing the contacts of infected persons, there are now also increasing attempts to change the sexual behavior of those at risk. This goal of behavior change is being pursued under two slogans: “Abstinence” and “Safer Sex”.