STDs on the rise among college students
Inadequate facilities in health services result in limited care available on campus
by Kelly Mawson

Linda Tisdale, director of the college’s Health Services, sees students for anything from pink eye to the common cold. However, a growing concern has recently emerged in the medical profession dealing with young adults in college: the increase in sexually transmitted diseases, especially in AIDS and genital warts.

“From reading and talking to other health professionals, I would say that genital warts is the most common sexually-transmitted disease,” said Tisdale.

“We see a lot of genital warts but chlamydia is also big,” said Pam Watikus, health educator at nearby Old Dominion University.

Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV, is the virus that causes genital warts. More than 50 types of warts have been identified, with Type VI identified as the cause of genital warts.

“Genital warts are hard to get rid of because they are often times pretty small,” said Mary Gerriets, VWC staff nurse

No cure is known at this time, but they can be burned off with acid to reduce inflammation and irritation.

In addition to genital warts, other health problems rank high among the VWC student population. Urinary tract infections are very common, and Health Services also administers five to 10 pregnancy tests a semester. “We also get one to two calls a week on the HIV line,” said Tisdale.

When asked if VWC keeps statistics on cases of sexually transmitted diseases among its student population, Tisdale said, “We are not like other schools as far as statistics go.”

To get those kind of statistics, a poll from the students would have to be taken.

“Plus the main purpose of a poll like that would be to see how we could better serve the students,” said Gerriets.

A poll such as the one suggested would leave the Health Services staff faced with an additional problem, regardless of the results: limited space, and limited services available on campus.

The clinic cannot offer gynecological exams for women, a necessary factor in determining the presence of sexually transmitted diseases. “We need bigger space, and we just don’t have those facilities at the present time,” said Gerriets.

Consequently, when a student comes in to be seen for a sexually-transmitted disease, they are referred to off-campus health facilities.

“Basically what we can do is give them information,” said Gerriets. “We try to aim for prevention before the students contract the STDs.”

The Health Services staff at VWC runs its own programs on prevention, but there has recently been a marked decline in student-run programs.

“There just hasn’t been anybody to pick up the ball,” said Tisdale of the previous peer group Choices, which was dismantled after losing members to graduation. A new group, Students Saving Students, was formed this year and focuses on AIDS education.

It is widely known that condom usage can greatly decrease the infection rate of STDs, including AIDS and genital warts. However, to the dismay of many medical professionals, young adults are choosing not to take advantage of that extra protection.

“Students aren’t making wise choices and therefore there has been no decrease in the diseases,” said Gerriets.

If you are concerned about having genital warts, AIDS, or any other STD, contact Health Services at 455-3346.