To avoid sexually transmitted infections, stay 'Clean-n-Safe'

By By Travis Robinett (Contact)

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Half of all people who are having sex will get a sexually transmitted infection by the age of 25, according to pamphlets handed out at the 18th annual Wellness Fair. The pamphlets are part of Clean-n-Safe, a campaign launched yesterday by the Wellness Resource Center that attempts to raise student awareness about STIs.

Bill Smith, public health educator with the Wellness Resource Center, said the Clean-n-Safe campaign attempts to inform students about gonorrhea and chlamydia, which are the most common STIs. Smith said that there was no difference between STIs and sexually transmitted diseases, but that STI was now the preferred term.

Clean-n-Safe was one of many booths set up outside of Watson Library for the Wellness Fair. The fair showcased services offered by Student Health Services and community organizations such as Lawrence Memorial Hospital, the American Red Cross and the Douglas County AIDS Project.

Catherine McCalley, Mission Viejo, Calif. senior, signs a student up for tickets to the KU Iowa State football during the Wellness Fair at the Clean and Safe Tent. The Wednesday afternoon health fair was held on the lawn adjacent to Watson Library.

Catherine McCalley, Mission Viejo, Calif. senior, signs a student up for tickets to the KU Iowa State football during the Wellness Fair at the Clean and Safe Tent. The Wednesday afternoon health fair was held on the lawn adjacent to Watson Library.

Catherine McCalley, student intern at the Wellness Resource Center, handed out free T-shirts, cups and pamphlets about STIs at the Clean-n-Safe booth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m yesterday.

McCalley, a Mission Viejo, Calif., senior, said the T-Shirts were gone in less than two hours. She said that the event was going well, and that everyone who stopped by Clean-n-Safe’s booth was very responsive to the STI information the booth was offering.

“They really like the logo on the T-Shirt,” she said.

Smith said Clean-n-Safe was sponsored by Gen-Probe, a company that develops laboratory and blood screening products used to test for conditions such

as STIs. He said the Wellness Center will continue Clean-n-Safe at least through this semester and possibly into the spring.

Patricia Denning, chief of staff at Watkins Health Center, said only a handful of universities offer Clean-n-Safe. Clean-n-Safe’s Web site, www.clean-n-safe.com, lists eight participating universities other than Kansas.

According to the Web site, three out of four chlamydia cases and three out of five gonorrhea cases occur in people 15 to 24 years old. Both diseases can be transmitted through oral, vaginal and anal sex.

Many people affected by gonorrhea and chlamydia do not show symptoms. A urine sample is all that is needed to conduct a test. The results are usually available within a few days. Anyone who tests positive for gonorrhea or chlamydia receives a prescription for antibiotics.

Smith said Clean-n-Safe would be at the Jaybowl on Oct. 6 and would sponsor a free night of bowling.

— Edited by Erin Wisdom

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