STD a new concern amongst Waldorf students
STDs are a common in the United States and Waldorf campus isn’t immune. Photo courtesy MyCommunitySource
By Preston Landon
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a concern around college campuses worldwide. Having such a small campus, Waldorf is especially susceptible to STDs because of how quickly they can spread. Recently, there has been an outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases here at Waldorf.
“I think it’s sickening,” said senior Kieren Wilson. “If someone has an STD, they need to disclose that information with whoever they are having sexual relations with.”
Many other students also strongly disagree with certain students’ choices to keep their STDs a secret, claiming that it is unsafe.
“I would want to know if somebody has an STD before I have relations with them,” said junior Alex Cabral. “I respect peoples privacy, but that is something that is a must-know for me because it is unfair to those who want to protect themselves from STD’s.”
It is unclear which STDs are floating around campus, but earlier this month campus nurse Mary Mathiasen sent out a campus-wide email regarding the STD that has been discussed the most: Herpes.
“The CDC is a reliable source for information on STDS,” said Mathiasen, who attached in the email an informative fact sheet from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about genital herpes.
According to the CDC, genital herpes is an STD caused by two types of viruses called herpes simplex type 1 and herpes simplex type 2. About one in every six people in the United States aged 14 to 49 have herpes. The only way to get herpes is through oral, vaginal or anal sex with someone who has the disease, or coming into contact with fluids from the disease.
“It’s a very widespread and common disease, which makes it scary because anybody can get it,” said Cabral.
The only way to avoid the disease is to abstain from any type of sexual contact. This is something that many students struggle with, no matter where they attend school.
“I have good self-control and I know I will be fine,” said Wilson. “It is just a shame that this has to be a concern on our campus.”