The number of sexually transmitted diseases is increasing on college campuses nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At A&T, chlamydia is the leading STD according to statistics from Sebastian Health Center. The A&T Register obtained health statistics in accordance with state public records law. No students were identified. According to the CDC, in 2006 there were 1,030,911 reported cases of chlamydia from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. During the 2005-06 academic year, Sebastian Health Center tested 355 students for the STD and of that number 128 were positive. The academic enrollment in 2005-06 was 11,098. Sebastian Health Center collaborates every year with the state in the “Chlamydia Campaign” in order to educate students about the growing disease. Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia Trachomatis and is commonly called the “silent” disease because there are frequently no symptoms. “Anywhere you go nationwide, the numbers are common,” said Sandra Kaye Zigler, a health educator at Sebastian. “The most common STD is chlamydia, then gonorrhea, then HIV/AIDS. It’s becoming a fight against chlamydia.” Also during the 2005-06 academic year of the 454 students tested in Sebastian for gonorrhea, 31 resulted in a positive test. There were not any cases of syphilis reported, although 146 students were tested. The 2006-07 academic year proved a different outcome. During the course of the two semesters: 618 students were tested for chlamydia; 204 received positive results. 627 students were tested for gonorrhea; 78 received positive results. 229 students were tested for syphilis; 1 received a positive result.The month of February was the highest reported month in the annual STD report during 2006-07, with nearly 86 cases of chlamydia and 85 of gonorrhea. Following was April and then September. The academic enrollment in 2006-07 was 10,498. Results for 2007-08 were not yet available. It was confirmed that within the last weeks of the Fall 2008 semester, Sebastian reported one positive case of syphilis. Bennett College for Women tests regularly for STDs in their student health center. Since August 2007, Bennett has reported four students tested positive for chlamydia and were treated. No other STD screenings returned a positive test. Although HIV/AIDS testing is available in Sebastian Health Center, Guilford County Health Department conducts the exams and the labs. Sebastian does not carry the numbers of A&T students who tested positive for HIV/AIDS. The results from the Health Department were also indeterminate due to the lack of separation in numbers of all of Guilford County, including UNCG. Guilford County ranks third in HIV/AIDS cases in the state, with 1,615 cases reported as of Dec. 31, 2007. The highest numbers were reported in Mecklenburg County with 3,868. Wake County ranked second with 2,306. Sebastian Health Center hosts such programs as “Dangerous Liaisons, Alcohol, Drugs, and Sex” and Drug and Alcohol awareness week to promote healthy lifestyles to Aggies. “Really students are educating themselves,” Zigler said. “Health educators are using resources, Web sites and facts. We promote that healthy lifestyles includes sex and in every class we weave in sexual responsibility.” In Sebastian, chlamydia and gonorrhea test results can be determined by a urine specimen and are available for women on site. Men can expect results within 72 hours. Tests for syphilis are determined by a blood sample. The state requires that any student who tests positive for chlamydia and gonorrhea must also be tested for syphilis. Sebastian encourages the use of condoms, communicating with partners and also offers counseling. Also if a student receives a positive test, the health center stresses completing the prescribed medication and abstaining from sexual activity for several weeks. For program or testing information, contact Sebastian Health Center at (336) 334-7880.
- Jasmine Johnson