Health Fair Offers STD Clinic

By Erika Westbrook
The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department will be offering a STD clinic during the Health Fair, which takes place on Oct. 12 in the Multipurpose Room. The clinic will give students the chance to be screened for the sexually transmitted diseases Chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV. Tests are free and do not require the use of needles.

“Cases of HIV, Chlamydia, gonorrhea and hepatitis C are prevalent,” said Allan Zipf, disease intervention specialist with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. “Five new cases of HIV have been reported locally over the past month, and in the last year a total of 107 cases of Chlamydia and 16 cases of gonorrhea have confirmed.”

According to Zipf, the majority of STD cases the Health Department sees involve younger people between the ages of 14 to 20, as younger people appear to be more sexually active.

“We hope to bring awareness to college students, since they are in the majority of those affected by sexually transmitted diseases, and are at greater risk,” Zipf said.

All HIV screening will be done by an Orasure test, which requires a saliva sample. The Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening will require urine samples. The clinic will be completely confidential, and all students who wish to participate in the screening are asked to sign up in the campus Health Center before the event.

Health Department representatives Janie Moore, R.N., and Joan McCay, R.N., will be available at the Health Fair for anyone looking for more information on STDs.

More information on the STD screening can be obtained in the Health Center, Room 1203.