MINARET UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1933
THE Vo l u m e
80
Number
22
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April
17,
2014
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ut.minaret@gmail.com
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theminaretonline.com
Students Opt Out of STI Testing
Survey reveals the dangers and reasons why
By SELENE SAN FELICE Arts + Entertainment Writer
One-hundred-seventy-one UT students were tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and HIV by the Safe and Sexy Spartans (S.A.S.S.) Club on April 2. Although this is the largest number of students to be tested by UT in three semesters, this group is less than 2.5 percent of UT’s current undergrad population. The testing was completely free and took about less than 30 minutes. Students were even rewarded with a $5 McDonald’s gift card as incentive for being tested. Despite the incentive and risk-free opportunity, a current UT student, who wished to remain anonymous, gave his own reasons for not being tested. “I believe that one can somewhat tell what is and isn’t going on in their own body,” the student said. “So at the moment, I believe I do not need to be tested.” According to the student, “There are common signs that every person can sense and everyone can tell when there is something different going on in their own body.” He is under the assumption that most people who are infected with sexually transmitted diseases do not have physical symptoms.
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He is wrong, according to the Florida Health Department. Medical research has proven that people are not capable of simply “sensing” if they have STIs unless they start showing physical symptoms of the infection. Furthermore, the chances of contracting an STI and/or HIV in Hillsborough County are extremely high. As of January 2014, there has been a 64 percent increase in reported cases of infectious syphilis in Hillsborough County and a 167 percent increase in reported cases of early latent syphilis since last year. As of 2013, Hillsborough County ranked number five in the state of Florida for cases of Gonorrhea, number four for HIV (which is a 218 percent increase), number four for Chlamydia and number seven for AIDS (a 140 percent increase), according to the Florida Health Department. Although Hillsborough County is an exceptionally large area, the chances of contracting an STI for UT students is still extremely high. According to Carlos A. Mercado, the STD Area 6 program manager at Hillsborough County Health Department, “Many adolescents and young adults (15 to 24 years old) are one of the most impacted segments of our population
Graphic by Selene San Felice
affected by STIs.” In the U.S., there are approximately 20 million new STI cases reported every year, and half of them are among this age group. In regards to students who choose not to get tested, Mercado said, “It is important to know that anyone with an untreated STI infection is two to five times more likely to be infected with HIV than those that are not infected. “The only sure way to know that someone with whom you are having
an intimate sexual relationship is not infected is by testing; you cannot tell by just looking at someone or by what they say,” Mercado said. Mercado added that most bacterial STIs can be treated and cured. “This is not the case with viral infections such as HIV,” he said. “However, even in this case, someone diagnosed with HIV has access to a world-class [sexual health] See STI Page 3
What’s in Your Wallet? Spartan Cards Covered in Bacteria
“Estimates are that one in 50 people harbor methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is resistant to most antibiotics Your Spartan Card is your best friend. You and very difficult to treat,” said Eric Freundt, need it to get into your dorm, attend campus biology professor and mentor to my research. events, use library services, access the fitness If you’re unlucky, you might transfer S. center and (most importantly) get food. What you aureus from your card, fingers or food. If your might not know about your key to campus life is food is above a certain temperature, S. aureus that it’s teeming with microorganisms, will begin producing toxins, which including some that may be harmful. can cause food poisoning. This Using a sterile cotton swab, I disease resolves itself within a day took samples by wiping the surface or two, although symptoms such of 100 students’ Spartan IDs. Then, I as cramping, nausea, vomiting wiped the samples onto petri dishes and diarrhea are sure to be pretty filled with a type of media that unpleasant. allows bacteria to grow into visible, So if you get food poisoning countable colonies. after eating on campus, don’t be The average Spartan card grew 78 too quick to blame Sodexo. You colonies, the lowest with 20 and the may have poisoned yourself. highest with so many colonies that it It’s impossible to avoid completely covered the dish. microorganisms. They live in us, Fifty of the Spartan Card on us and around us. Don’t let the samples were grown on media that mention of bacteria always elicit encouraged the growth of a certain Annabella Palopoli/The Minaret a negative response. We have a type of bacteria: Staphylococcus. The yellow spots indicate the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. positive relationship with many This medium also indicated whether microorganisms. Think of Jamie a certain subcategory of pathogenic bacteria, However, I definitely can’t promise you Lee Curtis and how unusually excited she is to be Staphylococcus aureus, was present. Twelve health. You might have S. aureus on your card. eating yogurt with all those probiotics. Spartan Cards were home to S. aureus. This isn’t dangerous in itself; S. aureus is a Even if you don’t regularly disinfect your But before you give your Spartan Card a common bacteria, found in and on 33 percent of Spartan Card, you’re probably not going to get bleach bath, keep in mind that the vast majority healthy people. But S. aureus can produce toxins a disease from anything living on it. However, of bacteria are harmless (or even beneficial) at elevated temperatures. Since one in four people using a little hand sanitizer before you touch your to us. In fact, we are pretty much walking are S. aureus carriers, your card has probably food couldn’t hurt in preventing food poisoning. petri dishes: in and on our body, we have 10 been handled by someone who is a carrier, and Annabella Palopoli can be reached at times more bacteria cells than human cells. that person could be yourself. annabella.palopoli@theminaretonline.com By ANNABELLA PALOPOLI Opinion Editor
Effectively, we are only 10 percent human. As disgusted as you might be by the thought of your Spartan Card harboring a plethora of microbial life, remember that bacteria are everywhere. If most of these were pathogenic, the human race would be long gone. Most of the critters at home in your wallet are likely harmless, common bacteria.