By Katerina Mansour, Staff Writer

Published in print Feb. 11, 2015

We’ve all joked about them, dreaded them, secretly or openly judged others because of them: STDs. The United States media seems to have placed a heightened focus on teen pregnancies over the past decade or so. Shows like ‘16 and Pregnant’ and ‘Teen Mom’ both seem to glorify but also shed light on the supposed realities of teen pregnancies and parenthood. Teen pregnancy has moved away from being a generally taboo subject, however STDs have not. We’re all aware of them, but many of us don’t know as much as we should. Too many of us also embrace ignorance when it comes to the harsh realities and possibilities of sexually transmitted diseases and their effects on our lives.

Sexually transmitted diseases within our generation have evolved in terrifying ways. For example, according to the CDC, about 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV (human papillomavirus). In addition, there are about 14 million newly infected people every year. “All adventurous women [have it]” as the show ‘Girls’ purported. It seems that one can’t really be sexually liberated without eventually contracting an STD. And while some may shrug it off by claiming that STDs are treatable and that it’s not that big of a deal, let’s not forget that on top of Herpes, HIV/Aids, and HPV which are incurable, there is now such a thing as antibiotic resistant Gonorrhea. The problem here is that, with the exception of avoiding pregnancy, we don’t tend to see sexual liberation and protection as going hand in hand. Very few people plan on using protection when giving or receiving oral sex for example, yet that is one of the most common ways to contract an STD.

The CDC reported that in 2013 there were 1,401,906 reported cases of chlamydia in the United States, 333,004 reported cases of gonorrhea, and 17,375 cases of primary and secondary syphilis (a 10% increase from 2012 noted among men, specifically gay and bisexual). They further report that undiagnosed STDs cause an estimated 24,000 women to become infertile each year. Imagine that, a minor slip up and you could become unable to bear children. 39% of reported cases of chlamydia and 34% of reported cases of gonorrhea occur among 20-24 year olds. Furthermore, about one out of every six people aged 14 to 49 years have Genital Herpes in the United States. Clearly our age group has some issues that need tackling.

These are just a few statistics among hundreds of pages of data that one can find through some very easy internet research. The resources are there for us to become aware of the dangers and prevalence of STDs and how to protect ourselves. However, what seems lacking is our desire to go out and find these resources and materials. What’s even more disturbing and appalling is that it seems to have become a common trend for partners to keep their STDs a secret therefore willingly spreading their disease to others. This occurs both when one is too “embarrassed” to be honest with a sexual partner, or has not bothered to see a doctor to get themselves checked out.

Both of these are critical problems within our generation. Our age group seems to be almost fearful of doctors, and would often rather ignore symptoms or remain blissfully ignorant to the possibilities of having contracted an STD. The fact is that the majority of STDs can be present within your system without any symptom whatsoever. Yet, I continuously come across girls my age who have never gone to see a gynecologist to be examined. A pervading sense of immunity seems to be present within our generation. We don’t seem to realize that yes, something as horrible as an STD can happen to us. Logical fallacies are rampant as well. Many think that since they have not been sexually active they couldn’t possibly have contracted a disease. Research people, research. None of us are immune to disease. Proper use of protection is a vital step in taking charge of our sexual health. Keep in mind though, no matter what protection you use during your sexual encounters there is always a small possibility of contracting an STD. Hence the need for regular exams with a doctor.

Why are STDs such a huge issue and what can we do about it? Let’s start by saying that sexual education in the United States is lacking at best. As I grew up outside the USA, I asked my roommate what her experience was with regard to sex education, to which she responded there was strong emphasis on STDs in her sexual education classes in both middle school and high school. However, it seems that sex Ed stops after high school despite the fact that college is where most of us are likely to encounter illnesses. On top of that, many households refuse to talk about STDs or other sexual topics as they deem them “taboo” and inappropriate.

Parents need to do a better job at educating their children when it comes to STDs and other dangers of sexual encounters. However, they must take care not to scare or scar their children, but rather have an open and honest discussion that will actually help their child fully understand the subject. As young adults we need to get over the “taboo” surrounding STDs and ask questions when we have them whether it be to our partners, friends, a counselor, our parents, or more importantly to a doctor. We must also realize the importance of getting regularly checked for STDs no matter how uncomfortable, expensive, or annoying we may see it as being. At the end of the day, our sexual health is in our own hands.You don’t realize just how bad something is until it happens to you. So how about we avoid that and make sure it never does? Seek knowledge, don’t become another statistic.