Beads and HPV

When my friend got excited about giving away beads to pretty girls at an upcoming Mardi Gras party, I just laughed and rolled my eyes. When he said he was hoping to get laid, I gagged with disgust.\nHe actually thought that girls would have sex with him if he gave them plastic necklaces. When I asked him who he wanted to have sex with, he said "whoever." And when I asked him if he cared that he could get one of the mysterious diseases floating around campus, he said that it wouldn't happen to him. I love you, babe, but open your eyes.\nWe've grown up with an unbelievable amount of information surrounding sexually transmitted infections -- the new politically correct term for STDs -- and I find myself annoyed because I am so frequently reminded to practice safe sex. But what's even more unbelievably annoying is that some people still think STIs are rare and that nothing can be done to prevent them.\nOne in five Americans has an STI, with two-thirds of all infections occurring in people 25 and younger, according to the American Social Health Association. Think about that. Chances are that one of five of your friends currently has herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia or HPV (human papilloma virus). Let's say that 500 people went to this Mardi Gras party at some point during the night. About 100 of them would have an STI. That means every time my friend put a strand of beads around a girl's neck hoping that she'd be the one to stay the night, there was a 20 percent chance she'd leave him with something that lasts a little longer than a memory. \nBut you'd know if someone you were going to be intimate with had an STI, wouldn't you? Think again. Let's take chlamydia for example. The Health and Wellness Education division of the IU Health Center reports that as many as 75 percent of female cases and 25 percent of male cases are asymptomatic, meaning that those infected could be passing on the infection without even realizing it. \nThe center reveals that HPV has become the most common STI. Also often asymptomatic and infecting millions of Americans, HPV is a virus that causes genital warts and can lead to various forms of cancer. It's transmitted through vaginal, anal and oral contact. \nSo don't think you're in the clear with oral sex. Herpes, for instance, is caused by viruses that can infect your mouth and/or genitals and can spread from one to the other. You might think that oral sex isn't really dangerous. Maybe that's what the 60 million Americans with herpes thought too. \nI'm tired of hearing about STIs and the importance of using protection. I thought we all got it. But my friend proved me wrong. \nTo his disappointment and my relief, he didn't get laid as he had so hoped he would. He had a few beads to spare at the end of the night and slept alone. I shudder at the thought of what could have been the consequences of a night spent with a random girl he picked up at that party. \nI doubt that if he had shared a night with someone he didn't know that he would have gotten tested for STIs either, something that less than half of Americans ages 18 to 44 have done. \nThe reality about STIs is that they're common and they're on the rise, especially among people our age. There are so many ways to protect yourself from the misery of an STI: monogamy, proper condom use, abstinence. Prevent the itching, burning and bumps that can be caused by these infections -- use the right head when making decisions on the weekends.