Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are very common on college campuses, and Birkam Health Center claims that Ferris is no different than any other college when it comes to prevention and protection.
“We do a lot of STD testing on students for many reasons,” said Ferris Director of Birkam Health Services and Counseling Center Lindsay Barber. “Some who believe they may have come in contact with someone who is infected, some just want to know their ‘status,’ and some have been having symptoms and need to be tested.”
According to Barber, they have tested Ferris students for every type of STD.
“You can get an STD by having sex—vaginal, anal or oral—with someone that has an STD,” said Ferris Birkam Nursing Supervisor Candace Price.
Price explained that STDs can be contracted when ‘you don’t even go all the way,’ meaning anal or vaginal sex, because some STDs such as herpes and HPV are spread by skin-to-skin contact.
Some STDs can be treated by medication, while some cannot be cured at all.
“If you are ever treated for an STD, be sure to finish all of your medicine, even if you feel better before you finish it all,” Price said. “Ask the provider about testing and treatment for your partner, too.”
Price explained that partners should avoid having sex until all parties have been treated because the STD could be passed back and forth from one another.
“It is possible to get an STD again, even after you’ve been treated, if you have sex with someone who has an STD,” Price said.