STDs affect students on campus
Beverly Manning
Issue date: 2/23/10 Section: Entertainment
Every year in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Public Health the ABAC clinic runs free gonorrhea and chlamydia screening for students here on campus.
The screenings have taken place for the past two years and will take place once again on March 23 and 24 from 9-12 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. At least 100 students have participated in previous years and of these students at least 10 percent have showed positive for either of these sexually transmitted disease (STD), or both.
Students interested in getting tested for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) will pay a $15 fee, but no fee for the Gonorrhea or Chlamydia screenings.
It is now punishable by law to participate in unprotected sex while knowingly having HIV without informing your partner.
The patients screened have mostly been asymptomatic, meaning they have yet to show any symptoms. All students are welcome, with or without symptoms.
RN Susan Thompson reports that the most asked questions from students regard confidentiality. All records are confidential, meaning no one will view these records including parents.
Thompson also reports that the most common sexually transmitted infection is the Human Papilloma virus (HPV). The HPV vaccine is available for students at the clinic for $100.
"Abstinence is the best way to prevent STDs. The next best way is to use condoms correctly and consistently every time," Troy Spicer, Nurse Practitioner, said.
Studies show that in the United States 56 percent of college students are sexually active and 73 percent of that group reported having unprotected sex while in college. It has also been reported that one in five college students know someone who has contracted an STD while in college.
Students with questions regarding STDs should contact the ABAC clinic or the Teen Health Clinic.
The Teen Health Clinic offers free services to students 19 and under, including free contraceptives, screenings and birth control.
The Teen Health Clinic is opened Monday-Tuesday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Friday from 8-5.
The screenings have taken place for the past two years and will take place once again on March 23 and 24 from 9-12 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. At least 100 students have participated in previous years and of these students at least 10 percent have showed positive for either of these sexually transmitted disease (STD), or both.
Students interested in getting tested for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) will pay a $15 fee, but no fee for the Gonorrhea or Chlamydia screenings.
It is now punishable by law to participate in unprotected sex while knowingly having HIV without informing your partner.
The patients screened have mostly been asymptomatic, meaning they have yet to show any symptoms. All students are welcome, with or without symptoms.
RN Susan Thompson reports that the most asked questions from students regard confidentiality. All records are confidential, meaning no one will view these records including parents.
Thompson also reports that the most common sexually transmitted infection is the Human Papilloma virus (HPV). The HPV vaccine is available for students at the clinic for $100.
"Abstinence is the best way to prevent STDs. The next best way is to use condoms correctly and consistently every time," Troy Spicer, Nurse Practitioner, said.
Studies show that in the United States 56 percent of college students are sexually active and 73 percent of that group reported having unprotected sex while in college. It has also been reported that one in five college students know someone who has contracted an STD while in college.
Students with questions regarding STDs should contact the ABAC clinic or the Teen Health Clinic.
The Teen Health Clinic offers free services to students 19 and under, including free contraceptives, screenings and birth control.
The Teen Health Clinic is opened Monday-Tuesday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Friday from 8-5.
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