Instead of your traditional chocolates or flowers, New York city officials decided to celebrate this year's Valentine's Day by handing out free condoms to city residents.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose health department's condom program already distributes 1.5 million free condoms each month, hopes the city's special Valentine's Day efforts will help encourage people to engage in safe-sex practices during the holiday and beyond

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest AIDS healthcare, prevention and education provider in the U.S., is suing Pfizer, Inc., the world's largest pharmaceutical company over its advertising and marketing of the erectile-dysfunction drug Viagra.

The suit, which was filed on behalf of the non-profit AIDS group in Los Angeles, accuses Pfizer of using deliberately misleading ads which encourages the use of Viagra as a so-called "party drug" and furthers the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases

Scientists have finally decoded the genome of the parasite causing trichomoniasis, one of the world's most common, and least recognized sexually transmitted diseases (STD) that affects both women and men, although symptoms are more common in women.

Researchers hope the new research will throw light on the parasite estimated to infect 170 million people a year worldwide, including 8 million in North America. Trichomoniasis is the most common curable STD in young, sexually active women

Syphilis is no joke but for men in San Francisco, humorous ads depicting their genitalia prompted them to get tested for the STD.

The cities Department of Public Health says that the risqué ads, which caused some controversy when they were first introduced in 2002, worked to their advantage and helped reduce the numbers of STD infected gay and bisexual men

A Los Angeles based anti-AIDS group has urged Viagra manufacturers to halt a marketing campaign that promotes the drug's recreational use.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is particularly concerned that Viagra, manufactured by Pfizer Inc., has become popular among gay and bisexual men who use methamphetamine, which has been associated with risky sexual behavior and HIV infection, Los Angeles Times reported