Letter to the Editor
Katherine Jones
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
The following email was received Sept. 14.
Last week's Muleskinner had a front-page article on STD's. The article implied there has been a dramatic increase in the rate of sexually transmitted infections or STDs at the University during the past year. What did increase was the number of positive cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea diagnosed at the Health Center.
It would be incorrect, however, to conclude from this number alone that the rate of disease prevalence among UCM students has increased, or that it is higher than other campuses in Missouri, which the article also implied.
There is no data available or collected that would allow a meaningful comparison of disease prevalence rates between Missouri campuses.
It can only be assumed that UCM students have similar disease prevalence rates as other 18-24-year-olds in the Midwest, as would the students from any of the other Missouri campuses.
Nationally, here are the trends for the two diseases mentioned in the article:
1. Chlamydia is the most frequently reported STD, and positive case reports increased 5.1 percent from 2004 to 2005, the latest year for which these statistics are available.
2. Gonorrhea is the second most frequently reported STD, and rates for that disease were relatively stable during the 10-year period of 1995 to 2005, although drug-resistant strains are a growing concern nationally.
The consequences and side effects of STDs can be devastating, and all sexually active persons would be well-advised to fully understand the risks of infection and take steps to reduce the chances of contracting an STD. An excellent source of up-to-date information is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov.
I thought it would be helpful to clarify this, particularly as this is Parent's Weekend and you may have the opportunity to talk to parents who will pick up this week's Muleskinner and may be concerned by what the article incorrectly implies.
You can also be confident that in the event of a public health threat or disease outbreak, information would be shared in a very timely manner, and all appropriate steps taken to reduce risk for the campus community.
Please feel free to share this e-mail with colleagues, students, parents, alums or friends of the University as you see fit. Have a great Parent's Weekend!
Michelle Hendricks
Director, University Health Services
University of Central Missouri
Last week's Muleskinner had a front-page article on STD's. The article implied there has been a dramatic increase in the rate of sexually transmitted infections or STDs at the University during the past year. What did increase was the number of positive cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea diagnosed at the Health Center.
It would be incorrect, however, to conclude from this number alone that the rate of disease prevalence among UCM students has increased, or that it is higher than other campuses in Missouri, which the article also implied.
There is no data available or collected that would allow a meaningful comparison of disease prevalence rates between Missouri campuses.
It can only be assumed that UCM students have similar disease prevalence rates as other 18-24-year-olds in the Midwest, as would the students from any of the other Missouri campuses.
Nationally, here are the trends for the two diseases mentioned in the article:
1. Chlamydia is the most frequently reported STD, and positive case reports increased 5.1 percent from 2004 to 2005, the latest year for which these statistics are available.
2. Gonorrhea is the second most frequently reported STD, and rates for that disease were relatively stable during the 10-year period of 1995 to 2005, although drug-resistant strains are a growing concern nationally.
The consequences and side effects of STDs can be devastating, and all sexually active persons would be well-advised to fully understand the risks of infection and take steps to reduce the chances of contracting an STD. An excellent source of up-to-date information is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov.
I thought it would be helpful to clarify this, particularly as this is Parent's Weekend and you may have the opportunity to talk to parents who will pick up this week's Muleskinner and may be concerned by what the article incorrectly implies.
You can also be confident that in the event of a public health threat or disease outbreak, information would be shared in a very timely manner, and all appropriate steps taken to reduce risk for the campus community.
Please feel free to share this e-mail with colleagues, students, parents, alums or friends of the University as you see fit. Have a great Parent's Weekend!
Michelle Hendricks
Director, University Health Services
University of Central Missouri
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