Reflection on STI presentation

       The STI presentation by guest speaker Katy Janousek was very informative and gave rise to much reflection within our group. The topic of sex and sexually transmitted infections is very sensitive and young adults feel uncomfortable discussing it. However, it is a vital subject that young adults, especially college students should be educated in. Katy Janousek’s main purpose of her presentation was to reach out to a class full of college students and inform them about sexually transmitted infections and diseases in a comfortable, yet educational manner. Many people are misinformed that sexually transmitted diseases are the same as sexually transmitted infections. Even though STDs and STIs are used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. We learned that the term STI is usually used because a person may be infected, but not show symptoms or progress into a disease at the time. There are four different types of STIs: parasitic, bacterial, viral, and fungal. Of the four, viral infections are incurable and have the most devastating effects. We learned that the most prevalent STIs affecting college students were Chlamydia, Herpes, and HPV. However, there are preventative measures one can take to protect themselves against these four different types of STIs. Katy Janousek emphasized that the only method guaranteed to prevent STIs is abstinence. But, because she was speaking to an older group, college students, she also emphasized that barrier methods such as a condom would be the next way to have safe sex. She taught the class the proper way to use them so that both partners could be protected. Because STIs are spread through bodily fluids and skin to skin contact, it was very important that she went over this. Katy Janousek also debunked some myths that the class actually thought were true. People used to think that the pill would protect the spread of STIs, however it does not. It only prevents pregnancy and offers no protection or barrier from STIs. We also learned that most STIs are asymptomatic and therefore, one must get regular screenings if they are sexually active. Katy Janousek’s presentation was extremely interesting, but most importantly very informative. Not just  our group, but the entire class seemed to have taken some importance out of her presentation and learned a lot of STIs. 

       Katy Janousek’s presentation interested our group, it is a sensitive topic avoided by most people but it really pertains to us and having some knowledge in this area could really be beneficial to us. Even though this is a heavy topic to discuss among college students, Katy Janousek did an exceptional job grasping our attention and making it a fun, interesting learning experience.  Most college students aren’t really aware of STIs and STDs. They believe in myths and have not established a formal understanding of the topic. But, most of the members in the group are aiming toward a future in the health field so this topic really heightened our interest. It was interesting to learn about some alarming statistics regarding STIs. Just among UGA students, only 52.2% used condoms for vaginal intercourse, which is ONLY 0.6% higher than the national average.  This is quite shocking, because it should only take about 10 seconds to properly insert a condom to protect both partners. This just shows the carelessness among college students who are uneducated on the topic of safe sex to prevent STIs. Because one could not take 10 seconds to put on a condom, they could suffer many years or possibly their entire life coping with and STI or STD. The lives of those living with HIV and AIDS are extremely difficult. HIV is a viral infection that can lead to AIDS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. There is currently no cure for this. We hear about HIV and AIDS affecting the lives of many Americans, but to find out exactly how severely was quite interesting. 1.2 million people in the United States are living with the HIV infection and 1 out of 5 people are not aware they have it. This is because HIV, like most STIs, are asymptomatic. This is a shocking number of people unaware of their infection. They could be passing it on to their partners without even knowing, only making the number drastically increase. It was also interesting to learn that HIV has ethnic differences. MSM (men who have sex with other men), particularly young black, MSM males are severely affected by HIV. Also, by race, African Americans are currently facing the most burden from HIV infections. These statistics were indeed appalling, but it captured our interest.

       The topic of STIs is extremely relevant to our lives at this point. We are all still in our youths, exploring, having fun and surrounded by a great number of people on the UGA campus. Being a college student, on a college campus, we are all bound to experience sexual feelings and engage in sexual activity. If that is the case, it is important to practice safe sex and be aware of the spread of STIs. Among college campuses, Chlamydia, Herpes, and HPV are the most common STIs. Because most STIs are asymptotic, one would not be able to point out whether their partner has a STI. Therefore, consent and communication is extremely important. Communication is important, the lack of it could result in the possible spread of an STI if the partners do not discuss it if they are aware they have an STI. The topic of STIs can impact our lives  greatly in many aspects. If one is affected by STIs at this time, as a college student, it could have devastating effects on one’s social and emotional life, as well as familial life, and studies. One’s social life could be impacted, because the STI could prevent them from engaging in certain activities. It would take a toll on their emotional life, because dealing and coping with an STI can be hard. It could require a lot of attention, but having a strong support system could help take the attention off of the STI. Our studies would be affected if we spend most of our time trying to deal with the STI. That is why Katy Janousek highlighted the importance of becoming aware of STIs and STDs so that we could protect ourselves in order to not deal with the strains caused by living with it at this time. One would not be able to understand the daily life and struggle of one living with an STI or STD, however we could only imagine the stress and burden it would be. For those infections that are curable, many people can still live regular lives as long as they keep up with their medication and value communication when partaking in intercourse.

  

      STIs and STDs are important to public health because they are one of the biggest problems in the United States. The statistics of STIs and STDs are dramatically increasing. Public health educators believe that this could be an issue of people not being educated in this topic. Like Katy Janousek mentioned, this is a sensitive topic and many aspects are misconstrued, with people believing in myths and avoiding the topic as it is a feared issue. The public health has stepped up and provided clinics with annual testing and screening as well as putting awareness in the public about this topic. Most clinics also hand out free condoms to promote safe sex. Preventative medications are also provided. Gardasil and Cervarix are vaccines for HPV. STIs and STDs are important to public health because just the awareness could stop the number of people infected from rising.

      The presentation was extremely thorough and covered all aspects of the topic of STIs and STDs. However, our group had some questions regarding the topic. If women receive a Pap Smear Test, would it test for STIs as well? Can a person contract an STI more than once? Is there a vaccine against STIs for men like the HPV vaccine for women? These are just some of the questions we came across while discussing the topic. These questions could be answered through research and further discussions with health care personals. 

Georgia Haynes

Michelle Kim

Krishna Koganti