Protect yourself
Younger people have high risk for contracting an STD
When college students head back to school this week, many will be packing the essentials - sheets, towels, clothes and books. But along with stops at Bed Bath and Beyond and Target, some students and their parents might stop in to see Michael Harney for other essentials.
Harney is a prevention educator at the Western North Carolina AIDS Project and supplies any college student who wants them with a package full of free condoms, lubricant and information on practicing safe sex.
Teenagers and people in their early 20s have the highest rates of new sexually transmitted diseases in the country, and local college health centers say they haven’t seen a drop in infection rates over the past few decades.
“They have knowledge, but knowledge doesn’t always change into a change in behavior, especially when other things are involved,” said Dr. Pat Geiger, a physician at Appalachian State University. “I think this issue is a very complex issue, and it comes down to personal decision making, and ultimately, it comes down to people making good decisions.” Read full story
