By: John Delgado, Aleja Aslan
12/16/2019
Solutions to STDs start with you and me
Solutions to STDs start with you and me
How many people have you met that must deal with a Sexual Transmitted Disease? Or how many people out there do you think have STDs but have no idea they do? One should approach this issue with an eased and knowledgeable mind; they should find peace in the fact that there is help out there and we’re here to tell you about those solutions.
Solutions to STDs start here
Solutions to STDs start here
There are prevention methods that could protect our school communities from STDs. As stated by WHYY; “Gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis cases increased to 2.3 million in 2017, a jump of 200,000 cases over the previous year.” Since Philadelphia ranks 5th in the nation in terms of total STD cases, mostly in teens, experts on the issue share that the city needs to start solving the issue from the most common places that teens spend their time. Where are you right now? Let me guess, a school, a library, or a recreational community center.
About 46% of high school students have had sex, putting them in potential risk of an STD. This is a pretty high percentage and attracts enough attention to deserve some action. We should implement sturdy programs in our schools (or other hot spots for teens) to warn their students about STDs and prove that taking precautions and using protection is always the best option. The only cases in which you wouldn’t want protection are when you are SURE that you & your partner are STD free and/or when you’re aiming to have a baby.
Why here?
Why here?
High school students are at high risk of getting an STD due to the fact that they are starting to experiencing new things in life.
Teens' introduction to adulthood and making their own decisions might happen without the support they need to stay healthy. Teens are at high risk of an Sexual Transmitted Disease, due to the fact that they are given freedom and they are learning how to use, even how to use it with their own bodies,
As teens become sexually active, some do not take their own health seriously. Parents, teachers and even classmates make the topic of sex such a private, non-mentionable topic that when teens start to have sex, most likely they are not ready because they don't know how to prepare.
When it comes to solutions in our schools, we have an annual presentation at Carver where we learn about all the negative effects about STDs and we also get tested for free. If they find that we have an STD, they’ll email or text us with follow up steps on how to treat the STD along with other sorts of help. One source shared that the school collaborates with the Health Department for STD testing as well as a presentation a year. This is a collaboration that allows students to get tested for free, follow their results and if applied, follow up with solutions. This is is something that is confidential and it allows students to take a step towards protecting themselves from STDs. One school nurse shared that her job is to help students to know what they are getting into when they decide that they want to be sexually active. Although she can’t do much because of protocols in school, in her office she has booklets and condoms that are available for whoever needs them.
Three solutions to STDs are...
Three solutions to STDs are...
BE PROACTIVE
BE PROACTIVE
PARENTAL UNDERSTANDING
PARENTAL UNDERSTANDING
REDUCE STIGMA
REDUCE STIGMA
The keys to unlock the solutions to STDs are here!
The keys to unlock the solutions to STDs are here!
To go in detail, programs such as Title X hit these issues right on the nose and was even funded by the government. They specialized in family planning and STD testing/treatment. I find it quite a shame that the Title X program came to an end and we no longer have a federal grant funded program dealing with these issues that are damaging our populations as we speak. Bring Title X back!
Planned Parenthood shared some major practical advice to combat STDs, such as avoiding drinking too much alcohol or doing other drugs. Getting wasted can make you forget how important safer sex is, and you may accidentally make decisions that increase your chances of getting STDs. Some are carried in body fluids like semen (cum), vaginal fluids, and blood. Others can be passed from skin-to-skin touching with an infected body area. Using barriers like condoms and dams helps you avoid contact with fluids and some types of skin-to-skin contact during sex. So when you don’t use condoms, your chance of getting an STD goes up.
If you are interested in getting more education, the Department of Public Health's STD Control Program provides: walk in testing and treatment for STDs at Health Center 1 and Health Center 5. This office controls the spread of STDs by offering confidential services, including referral, testing, and treatment to the sex partners of people with an STD.
Provides education, urine-based screening, and treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia in all Philadelphia public high schools.
Provides advice and consultation to doctors, nurses, and other community partners about the diagnosis and treatment of STDs.
Provides free male and female condoms.
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