Topic: STD Health and Hygiene

Script:
Good Afternoon Everyone! I’m Rebecca, I’m Jasmine! We are public health students at Georgia
College and State University and currently interning at Stepping Stone.

For those of you who might be new, Stepping Stone is a child advocacy and sexual assault center
located in both Dublin and Eastman. We provide a variety of services including forensic
interviews, medical exams, victim advocacy, mental health resources, and community peer
groups for survivors.

We also provide educational sessions and conversation opportunities about important issues
within our community. That is why we continue to do this series monthly.

In this month’s community conversation, we will discuss STD health and hygiene. We are
joined by Anthea, our sexual assault nurse examiner, who will help us explore this topic and
answer some of our questions!

*Interview*

Hi Anthea! Thank you so much for joining us today!

*Anthea Response*

We are so happy you are here! To start… we would love for the viewers to learn about your job
title and what you do!

*Anthea Response*

Thank you so much for sharing that with us! Now that we know more about you and your career,
we can jump into today’s topic: Sexually Transmitted Diseases, or STDs!

To start… Can you explain to us what exactly sexually transmitted diseases are?

*Anthea Response*

Now that we know what STDs are… what are the most common STDs and what age group is
most at risk?

*Anthea Response*

Now that we know more about the types of STDs… how does someone get an STD?

*Anthea Repsone*

When should I go to get tested for an STD? What should people expect when they get tested?
*Anthea Response*

That is great information to know! What are the different treatments for STDs?

*Anthea Response*

How do you protect yourself from getting an STD?

*Anthea Response*

Thank you for joining us today! We appreciate you taking the time to discuss STD health and
hygiene with us. We learned so much!

Bye, Anthea!!!

Now that we have learned a little bit about what STDs are from Anthea — we would like to
provide you with more information. We are going to take an in-depth look at the importance of
awareness, education, and social views surrounding STDs. You may hear us change between the
term STD and STI. This is because they have the same meaning.

STI Awareness has grown more popular over the years. This is to help decrease fear, stigma, and
discrimination around the topic. This type of awareness also focuses on making sure people have
the knowledge and tools they need when it comes to prevention, testing, and treatment.

Sexually transmitted diseases have continued to be an ongoing epidemic within the United
States. The World Health Organization reported, “over one million STIs are acquired every day
worldwide.” They also stated that individuals can have an STI without showing any symptoms.
For example, Chlamydia is known as the “silent infection” since most people never experience
symptoms. This is why getting tested regularly and practicing safe sexual habits is so important.
According to the World Health Organization, STIs have a direct impact on sexual and
reproductive health through stigma, infertility, cancers, pregnancy complications, and can
increase the risk of HIV.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, also known as HIV, is a virus that attacks the body's immune
system. If not treated appropriately, it can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, most
commonly known as AIDS which there is currently no effective cure.

There are three stages of HIV. The first stage is known as acute HIV which presents most
commonly with flu-like symptoms. The second stage is known as chronic HIV which is the
asymptomatic stage. HIV is still active and continues to reproduce in the body, and although
individuals may not have any symptoms or get sick during this phase, the virus is still
transmittable. The third stage is what is known as AIDS, which leaves individuals with a
compromised immune system and immune difficulties.
While there is no effective cure for HIV or AIDS, there is a therapy consisting of a combination
of medications that aim to decrease the viral load within the body and slow down the
reproduction of virus cells. This allows for the individual to live a longer life and manage their
illness better.

Over the years, there has been an increase of awareness surrounding STDs and STD prevention.
There has been more open conversation as a society surrounding STDs and practicing healthy
sexual behaviors. This as a result has decreased stigma as well as encouraged individuals to get
tested and practice preventative measures. Many famous celebrities have come forward telling
their stories, whether they are living with AIDS or have a treatable STD, in order to reduce
shame surrounding the issue. For example, in 2007 famous actor Billy Porter was found positive
for HIV and after 14 years of silence, finally decided to speak out about his journey and story, as
well as what life looks like HIV positive. His story inspired many to get tested and share their
story without fear or shame.

There is an ongoing need for more educational resources related to STI awareness. STIs are most
common within the 15-to-24-year-old population. However, anyone who is sexually active can
be at risk. Education is one of the strongest forms of prevention because it introduces people to
safe sexual habits and reliable resources. It is important to introduce these educational courses
early on as well as make sure the information being given out is accurate and age-appropriate.
Examples of reliable sources include The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The
World Health Organization.

Overall, STDs and healthy sexual behaviors are topics that need to be talked about more
often.With proper education and awareness, society as a whole can move towards promoting a
more sexually healthy lifestyle. Thank you for joining us during this month’s community
conversation.

BYE! See you next month!