Awareness, condom use key to keeping STDs in check
Amanda Webb
Gonorrhea or syphilis or not topics one often wants to discuss while eating a porter house steak or a green salad but they are topics that should be discussed with those we are intimate with. “Most people don’t realize how prevalent STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infection) are today,” said Mona Scott, an MCC faculty member.
Safety in human sexuality counts on people to be completely aware of those infections that could be lurking inside every person who share a relationship or are intimate with one another.
“In 2009, a total of 1,244,180 cases of sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis infection were reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site states. “This is the largest number of cases ever reported to CDC for any condition.”
That is just one out of many forms of sexually transmitted infections that should be taken into consideration before a person decides to begin a sexual relationship with a new partner.
Megan Hriczko, a nursing major, said, “I protect myself from STD’s (Sexually Transmitted Disease) by using protection and only staying with one partner, and if I do get a new partner I always get tested.”
Having a limited number of sexual partners, using protection, and getting tested are of upmost importance in maintaining sexual health.
STIs can be transmitted through any exchange of bodily fluids, oral, vaginal, and anal included. Women are at a higher risk than man for becoming infected.
Scott said that what needs to be done to prevent the spread of STIs is to, “know your health status, get checked regularly (before and after every sexual partner), get tested with your new partner before the exposure of any genitals, make sure each partner sees the results of each other’s tests, talk to the partner about past sexual history, explore each others’ bodies for pleasure and for any signs of an infection before physical intimacy, get educated.”
Condom use is an important factor in reducing ones chances of acquiring an infection. However, there will always be some level of risk.
Some may think one behavior is safer than another but being knowledgeable and taking specific action is needed for protection.
“Some people are quite uninformed about STI transmission. But there are those that don’t see STIs as a threat because they believe in stereotypes – if people look healthy, they do not have an STI when in reality this is not true.
“There are also some who are just plain lazy, too. The range of reasons is diverse. But awareness seems to be (a) common factor among all these,” Scott said.
The CDC reports show that less than half of people who should be screened receive recommended STD screening services.
Undetected and untreated STDs can increase risk for HIV and cause other serious health consequences, such as infertility. STD screening can help detect disease early and, when combined with treatment, is one of the most effective tools available.
