About one out of five American adolescents or adults has been infected with the virus that causes herpes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So when about 30 students gathered Tuesday to hear a presentation about sexual health awareness, a few heads and stomachs were turned by some frank information.
The workshop, Sexual Health Awareness- “Your Body — Your Business,” was presented by LEAD Scholars and led by Karen Yerkes, a nurse practitioner with UCF Health Services.
Yerkes presented the students with facts and pictures about some of the most-common sexually transmitted diseases, including herpes, genital warts and chlamydia.
Greg Mercado, a freshman history and biology double major, said that, while the presentation was interesting, actually seeing pictures of infected genitalia “was kind of gross.”
Yerkes used much of the presentation to dispel myths students often have about sexual health.
“Probably the most typical thing that I hear is ‘Well I don’t need to be tested because he was tested,’” she said, adding that people who are sexually active should still be regularly tested for STDs, even if they don’t think they have any symptoms.
In addition to getting tested, other preventative measures can be taken to protect against infections.
Yerkes spoke about the vaccine Gardasil that reportedly protects against the four main types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause genital warts and cervical cancer.
The drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for women ages 9 to 26, though Yerkes said some recent studies have shown that the vaccine is effective in women as old as 45, as well as men.
And while the vaccine’s high cost may put some students off — $120 for each of the three shots — Yerkes said it’s worth the peace of mind and potentially saved medical bills, and most insurance companies cover the cost of the shots.
Yerkes also stressed that an important defense against getting an STD is maintaining a healthy immune system. Eating well, exercising regularly and not smoking are key to keeping your body able to fight off the infections that can lead to serious illnesses, she said.
Coinciding with the observation of Women’s History Month, the presentation noted that while more men tend to carry STDs such as herpes, women generally display more symptoms of the virus that can cause sores and flu-like symptoms.
Her pictures of what the results of some STDs look like elicited cries of shock and disgust from some students.
Ashley Williams, a freshman business major, said that she learned a lot from the presentation, and said that students could benefit from more information.
“It would probably lower the amount of students getting these diseases,” she said of the presentation.
And after seeing the pictures of what can happen after contracting a disease like syphilis, she said she learned one thing for sure.
“I know not to ever have sex,” she said with a laugh.
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