University of Memphis Student Health Services has received manyrequests from students for STD testing over the years, but thetesting has never been a constant service. However, all this monthSHS is offering free STD testing and treatment as part of NationalChlamydia Awareness Month.
"Student Health Services doesn't (normally) do STD testing,"said Diane Cooper, lab director and medical technologist, "butstudents have always wanted it."
The free testing and treatment is part of a pilot program SHS isparticipating in with the Memphis-Shelby County Health Departmentduring April. The U of M is a health department satellite location,providing chlamydia testing and treatment, said Sandra Jones,Family Planning Division nurse.
All testing at SHS is confidentially done using urinalysis.Testing is not scheduled at specific times, so students don't needto feel that they will be looked at in a negative way by theirpeers, Cooper said.
"The pilot is on a trial basis and will be continued for thenext year if we see a need," she said.
"Eight years ago, we did a study for this particular type oftesting on our students. It was on a volunteer basis without anytreatment. There was a good response. I suspect now there will be agood response with this, especially with the treatment."
The federally-funded initiative is an effort to make collegestudents -- who are among the most at-risk people for sexuallytransmitted diseases -- aware of chlamydia through education,periodic screening and prevention, Jones said.
The age group at the highest risk for contracting STDs is ages15 to 29, according to Memphis-Shelby County Heath Departmentstatistics. Of that group, 83 percent of 6,468 cases testedpositive, said Helen Morrow, Memphis-Shelby County HealthDepartment's acting health officer.
However, some people may not even know they have a STD.Chlamydia is a silent disease that often lacks symptoms, soscreening is very important, Jones said, adding that long-termeffects of chlamydia are likely to surface as the diseaseprogresses. Scarring can result, leading to infertility.
Senior criminal justice major Moneaka Everette said other U of Mstudents have come to her with concerns that they may have beeninfected. Everette said she took them to a planned-parenthooddoctor.
"I let them know they were cared about and not judged, somethingthat can cause them not to trust someone else if they needed totalk to others," Everette said.
Although finance major Ray Buchanon doesn't know anyone withchlamydia, he said he remains cautious.
"A lot of guys have unprotected sex with attractive women," hesaid. "But everything that glitters is not gold. It may look good,but trust no one."
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Some Chlamydia Facts
° In 2002, 834,555 chlamydia infections were reported in theUnited States. °If left untreated, chlamydia can lead to infertility,potentially fatal tubal pregnancies and chronic pelvic pain. °Up to 40 percent of women with untreated chlamydia willdevelop pelvic inflammatory disease, and one in five will becomeinfertile. °Chlamydia can cause prematurity, eye disease and pneumonia ininfants. °One in 10 adolescent girls tested for chlamydia testspositive. °Infected women are three to five times more likely to becomeinfected with HIV if exposed to chlamydia. °Seventy-five percent of women and 50 percent of men who havechlamydia exhibit no symptoms. °Three million people contact chlamydia each year. °The disease is common among all races but higher amongminorities. °Chlamydia prevalence is higher in areas without longstandingscreening and treatment programs. Source: Department of Health and Human Services andCenters for Disease Control |
