Spring Break
Oakland study says STDs among youth rising
Kristin Furtado
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: News
Borowski, who has been in a relationship for the past four years, said she uses birth control pills but not condoms.
Despite the rising number of STDs, Thai said the rate of unintended pregnancies has gone down "tremendously," by 24 percent, indicating that this demographic is very educated when it comes to birth control but not when it comes to STDs.
"About 80 percent of the people don't know that they're infected with an STD because there's no symptoms," said Melinda Chu-Yang, a peer health education coordinator who specializes in sexual health.
Chu-Yang provides free one-on-one sexual health counseling for students on everything from what the most effective form of birth control is ("hormonal methods," which are 99.9 percent effective if used correctly) to how to tell your partner if you've been diagnosed with an STD.
The most common symptom of an STD? Not having a symptom at all, Chu-Yang said.
"That's the reason why the rates are so high," she said.
"There's always that risk," said Nick Underwood, a senior liberal studies major, about having sex with people one doesn't know that well. Underwood, who said he's been to the student health center for an STD screening before, said students need to be wise about having sex, especially when it comes to using protection.
Underwood goes to the campus Condom Co-Op, a free service that provides students with condoms. His friend, Edgar Raygoza, a senior international business major, believes that college students should take advantage of the resources on campus when it comes to sexual health.
"You have to worry about your health," Raygoza said.
While unintended pregnancy rates are pretty low, Chu-Yang said rates of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are fairly common on college campuses.
Of the number of Chlamydia tests performed in the Student Health Center between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007, 2.56 percent were positive, said Dr. Cecilia Manibo, the medical chief of staff at the Student Health Center in an e-mail. Out of the number of Gonnorhea tests, less than 1 percent were positive.
Despite the rising number of STDs, Thai said the rate of unintended pregnancies has gone down "tremendously," by 24 percent, indicating that this demographic is very educated when it comes to birth control but not when it comes to STDs.
"About 80 percent of the people don't know that they're infected with an STD because there's no symptoms," said Melinda Chu-Yang, a peer health education coordinator who specializes in sexual health.
Chu-Yang provides free one-on-one sexual health counseling for students on everything from what the most effective form of birth control is ("hormonal methods," which are 99.9 percent effective if used correctly) to how to tell your partner if you've been diagnosed with an STD.
The most common symptom of an STD? Not having a symptom at all, Chu-Yang said.
"That's the reason why the rates are so high," she said.
"There's always that risk," said Nick Underwood, a senior liberal studies major, about having sex with people one doesn't know that well. Underwood, who said he's been to the student health center for an STD screening before, said students need to be wise about having sex, especially when it comes to using protection.
Underwood goes to the campus Condom Co-Op, a free service that provides students with condoms. His friend, Edgar Raygoza, a senior international business major, believes that college students should take advantage of the resources on campus when it comes to sexual health.
"You have to worry about your health," Raygoza said.
While unintended pregnancy rates are pretty low, Chu-Yang said rates of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are fairly common on college campuses.
Of the number of Chlamydia tests performed in the Student Health Center between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007, 2.56 percent were positive, said Dr. Cecilia Manibo, the medical chief of staff at the Student Health Center in an e-mail. Out of the number of Gonnorhea tests, less than 1 percent were positive.
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