It's no new news that STDs are prominent among teens and young adults in highschools and colleges. They are the easiest thing to doubt too, because no one really thinks it can happen to them.
Picture from College Candy
But think about it. Put the idea of the six degrees of seperation theory into play. The theory states that everyone is at most six steps away from anyone else on the planet. Add the idea of sex into that definition and whether you've had sex with one partner or 50, you are conntected to a lot more people than you think.
According to college candy.com (http://collegecandy.com/2009/04/02/the-truth-about-stds/) one if four college students has an STD. The idea that 25 percent of students have an STD may be hard for someone to handle. I know it was hard for me to take seriously. The reson being you always think it must be one of the kids who gets around. And while most of the time, it comes from sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases can be contracted from birth. And while I could not find any specific information for IUP, the national statistics should be scary enough.
Most kids won't talk about STDs, because at the age we are now, it is assumed that if you have one, you are dirty or promiscuous. This is why many go months or even years without getting tested or admitting to themselves the possibility of have something.
Many STDS such as chlamydia and gonorrhea never show any symtoms. And maybe you personally do not care that you have something, but it is unfair and unsafe to be spreading it to others. So before you dive under the sheets with someone, let them know.
That is why everyone: male or female; black or white; sexually active or not, should get tested. Spreading the knowledge about STDs is the best way to keep yourself and others safe.
