STD News

STORY BY KATRINA SMITH, FNN REPORTER, TECH PREP BUREAU

JAN. 8, 2014.  On November 27,2013, students at Tech Prep took an STD test and had a 20 minute lesson in STDs and how they get them. STD means “sexually transmitted disease”. Students were tested for two STDs—Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. If students have these STDs, then the people who tested the students will come back at a later date and treat them.

STD testing is important for teens in high school because in DC teens are most likely to get Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. So, teens should have an idea of what these diseases can do to their bodies. They should also know the steps to take if they do have an STD.

If Chlamydia and  Gonorrhea are left untreated, these diseases could keep men and women from having kids. These STDs could also cause women to have pelvic pains. If a person is exposed to STDs more than 5 times, then they are more likely to catch HIV. This is more likely to happen because the immune system is damaged and it is very weak. Chlamydia is also known as a silent infection. This mean that it goes unnoticed by most because it does not have lots of known symptoms. Fifty percent of women don’t have symptoms. This means that people who are sexually active should go to the doctor for a checkup every 3 to 6 months.

Other ways to keep safe is by wearing a condom. Condoms are effective because they prevent people from getting STDs and there’s more than one kind you can use.

In conclusion, protect yourself by following the advice in this story and keep getting checkups if you’re sexually active.

Katrina Smith is a sophomore at Friendship Tech Prep Academy.