The number of students at the University with sexually transmitted diseases or infections is stable, according to Student Health Center numbers, but female students account for much more of the total students tested than males, making up 77 percent of the test group.Fifty-one male students have tested positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea so far this year — only six cases more than in 2005. Among females, 77 cases have been positive for the two diseases so far this year — compared to 91 positive cases four years ago.The discrepancy between male and female testing counts exists because females receive STD analyses during their scheduled gynecology exams, and male students usually take the tests only for symptoms, said Brenda Prudhomme, lab technician supervisor at the Student Health Center, in an e-mail.So far this year, 39 percent of chlamydia and gonorrhea tests were positive for male students tested. Only 5 percent of female students tested were positive for chlamydia and gonorrhea. There have been 2,035 total chlamydia and gonorrhea tests taken at the Center in 2009 — down from 2,246 and 2,350 tests in 2006 and 2007, respectively.The Student Health Center offers tests for chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis B. Prudhomme said the incidence of positive HIV, syphilis or hepatitis results is rare. All tests are conducted through urine or blood sample.Nineteen million new sexually-transmitted infections occur in the U.S. each year, according to Womenshealth.gov, a part of the Department of Health and Human Services. The U.S. has the highest rates of STDs in the industrialized world, according to the site. Louisiana was in the highest bracket for STD morbidity rates from 1984 to 2006, along with states like California, Florida and New York, with deaths from STDs exceeding 600,000 during the time period, according to the Center for Disease Control.The CDC reports nearly half of those infected with either chlamydia or gonorrhea could also be infected with the other disease at the same time.The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals reports Louisiana’s STD rates are among the highest in the country. The state’s 2007 rankings included the highest primary and secondary syphilis rate, the second highest gonorrhea rate and the seventh highest chlamydia rate. The total chlamydia cases increased by more than 3,000 to 22,659 in 2008. The rankings for 2007 are the most recent year for which the statistics are available.The National College Health Assessment for last fall by the American College Health Association, showed 8.2 percent of the nearly 27,000 students surveyed reported having four or more sexual partners. About 54 percent of sexually active students reported using a condom during intercourse in the past 30 days. Saichuk said students put themselves at extreme risk when they have sex with an infected partner. She said condoms don’t protect against transmission of HPV and herpes, as they are both transmissible skin-to-skin. “The only thing that’s 100 percent is abstinence … no genital contact. If you ask 10 different people what abstinence means, you’ll get 10 different answers,” Saichuk said. She said male testing used to be painful, but now the Center uses urine analyses for most STD tests. She said most people are asymptomatic with STDs, so it’s important to take voluntary tests to ensure sexual health. Saichuk said the symptoms are not exclusive to STD diagnoses, but students should get tested if they experience genital itching, odorous discharge, abnormal bleeding, sores, growths or pain during intercourse or urination.”It’s important to know your body,” she said. “People should be more educated about it — how common [infection] is. There’s nothing shameful about getting tested,” she said.But Colin Ryan, philosophy senior, said he’s never taken an STD test. He said it would take real suspicion of symptoms to get him into a testing facility.Taylor Neyland, biology freshman, said if male students aren’t ready to take an STD test of their own volition, they should observe the physical results of STDs that have been allowed to progress in others.”You’d be a little ashamed. But … you should treat your body like a temple,” she said. “The way the world is today — it’s a mess. Take care of yourself.” Jared Pete, architecture sophomore, said more advertisement of STD testing might encourage more male students to get tested.”You want to be safe,” he said. “You don’t want to harm anyone else.” Saichuk said STDs carry more serious medical implications in the long run if left untreated. Bacterial infections can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in females — a painful infection that can lead to permanent infertility. Males can incur permanent infertility or testicular cancer. Saichuk said syphilis, while bacterial and treatable, can get into the nervous system over time and destroy the brain.”They’re completely curable without residual damage to the body,” Saichuk said of bacterial infections. She said viral infections are treatable but not completely curable. Infection with HIV, HPV or herpes, for example, lasts a lifetime, and only the “viral load,” or presence of the virus, can be managed with medication, she said. To keep from exacerbating complications with herpes simplex 1,Saichuk advised students to get sleep, reduce stress levels and keep from compromising the immune system. For hepatitis, she said any consumption of alcohol can further damage the liver. The Health Center offers vaccines for Human Papillomavirus in three installments for $134 per shot and vaccines for Hepatitis A and B. Maggie Calloway, psychology sophomore, said she has no problem with getting tested for STDs without any suspicion of infection. _____Contact Sarah Lawson at [email protected]