Are you sure you're sti-free?
Nearly half of young adults go without condoms
CHELSE MCKEE, STAFF
With nearly half of sexually active adults aged 20-24 choosing to not use a condom, how safe are you from STIs?
An STI, otherwise known as a sexually transmitted infection, is similar to an STD, a sexually transmitted disease, except that STI defines the first stage before a person has contracted the disease from the infection. STI has become the commonplace phrase to stand use when speaking about both STIs and STDs.
Roughly 80 per cent of adults, by age 24, will have had sex at least once, and with university students being, on average, the most sexually promiscuous age group, they are at the highest risk of contracting an STI.
The risk of contracting STIs becomes significantly lower in adults as they tend to have only one sexual partner for longer periods of time.
According to a Canada Community Health Survey, only 4 per cent of youth aged 15-24 have reported being diagnosed with an STD. Despite that number, it is believed that the number is actually much higher because most STDs have little or no symptoms.
The University of Manitoba’s Public Health Service on campus reports that chlamydia is the number one STI they see, with the patients being mostly female.
Chlamydia, the STI that is most commonly reported, is usually asymptomatic. In fact, 40-70 per cent of people with chlamydia present no symptoms at all.
Despite the protection offered by condoms, the number of chlamydia cases has been on the rise, with the number 63,000 in 2004 being the highest number since the cases became reportable in 1990.
Women make up two-thirds of all reported cases of chlamydia, while men occupy 60 per cent of all reported gonorrhea cases.
The most common STI is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which will affect an estimated 75 per cent of Canadians in their lifetime at least once. HPV is one of the only STIs that can not be prevented by wearing a condom. Like chlamydia, HPV is usually asymptomatic.
STIs are on the rise despite an increase in public knowledge about preventative measures and an increase in promotion about getting STI tests.
The three most commonly reported STIs, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, have all risen sharply in the number of infected people since 1997.
According to Sexualityandu.ca, the rise is mosly likely due to a higher rate of testing in teens and young adults.
It is recommended that both men and women receive an STI test annually or before they plan to be sexually active with a new partner. A family physician or public health clinics like the Winnipeg Klinic or the Manitoba Health Service on campus are good resources for both tests and STI information.
STIs can lead to genital warts, blisters, infertility, spontaneous abortion, cancer and even death.
Condoms and dental dams are the most effective measures at preventing the transference and contracting of STIs, although never 100 per cent effective. Many clinics and students services off and on campus offer free sexual protection, such as the Womyn’s Center and Manitoba Health Services both found on the Fort Garry campus.
