March 21th, 2008

Can you imagine being in a room where ¼ of the women have an STD? According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 1 in 4 American women between the ages of 14 and 19 have a sexually transmitted disease. And according to the website www.missthemess.com , “in the 60s only syphilis and gonorrhea were common. Today there is at least 25 STDs, and at least 8 new pathogens have been identified since 1980, including HIV.” Another website, www.avert.com, ranks Florida on its top 10 list of states reporting STD cases in 2006.

I wanted to find out how CCHS felt about this new statistic, so I interviewed 25 people (21 students and 4 teachers). 12 people knew someone with an STD, 13 did not. Out of the 12, 3 volunteered to anonymously share how the STD affected that person. 3 of the teachers interviewed knew someone with an STD.

I asked 3 of the 12 students who knew someone with an STD how it affected that person, and how they handled it.

Student #1: “She was so scared about the whole thing. She’s getting help though… but people look at her differently now. They look at her with sympathy.”

Student #2: “I didn’t know them personally. But as far as I knew it affected them with relationships. It affected them emotionally, physically and socially.”

Student #3: “When I found out that the girl had an STD I expected it from her. She was nasty, and she messed around with a lot of people. Even when she found out she had one she didn’t do anything but get meds, and even after that she was still having sex.”

These interviews made me think of the two people I know with an STD. The effect it has had on their lives was beyond what anyone could understand. They were both girls, one 18 and the other 17, with genital herpes. The 18 year olds boyfriend called her cruel names and broke up with her. The 17 year old told her boyfriend and some of her family, and they accepted it.

Even though the 17 year old beat herself up for her mistake, the people she confided in still love her and have been more than willing to help her get through her time of need. She has been with her boyfriend for almost two years and has had a few outbreaks. Her boyfriend hasn’t contracted anything, though they are sexually active.