Healthy sex life a 'Mission Possible'

County health dept. official discusses STDs.

By Grace Meiners

Published Dec. 2, 2008

As a part of "Mission Possible" Minority Health Awareness Week, a local sexual health expert conducted a sex education forum Monday night.

Thel Saargent, STD and HIV outreach educator Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services, organized the event.

The night began with graphic photos of the effects of different STDs. He showed photos of genitalia affected by herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis and human papilloma virus.

Although STDs can produce different symptoms, he said, often they cause no immediate symptoms.

He said he encountered a healthy-looking man at the clinic who was who partook in flag football, cage fighting and wrestling. He said with a healthy person, their T-cells normally amount to 900; a person with AIDS/HIV has a T-cell count at about 200. This man had a T-cell count of 100, he said.

"How do you know I don't really have HIV?" he said. "There's no way you know."

Saargent said black women are the people most affected by HIV. He said one of the reasons for this is that many women think they cannot get an STD if they think they are in a monogamous relationship.

"You think your man isn't cheating and you don't use protection," he said.

He also said some women are intimidated into not using protection.

He said he met a woman a few years ago who wanted him to tell her boyfriend to use condoms. He asked her why she couldn't tell him herself.

"She told me, 'If I go to my boyfriend and ask him to wear condoms, my rent might not get paid this month,'" he said.

Saargent said HIV is only transmitted though semen, blood, breast milk and vaginal fluid.

"HIV cannot be transmitted through spit, tears or sweat," he said.

Saargent said it is important to not partake in judgment-impairing activities.

"If you are planning on having sex, do not use drugs or alcohol," he said.

In addition to information about HIV and STDs, Bill Monroe, regional HIV counseling testing coordinator with the county health department, performed free HIV tests and Gardasil shots during the two-hour session.

Monroe said the Gardasil vaccine is provided free of charge through a Missouri Foundation for Health grant.

"We're encouraging all women ages 9 to 26 to get it," he said.

Monroe said HIV testing is important. He said if there were universal testing for everyone and therapy for those who needed it, the HIV epidemic could be put away.

He said it is important for college students especially to get tested because of the high rate of infection.

"High school and college folks have a far higher number of sexually transmitted diseases," he said.

Twenty-five people were tested for HIV, three for syphilis and 12 were given the Gardasil vaccine, said Danielle Huff, president of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students.

Huff said the week was organized to address health care disparities in the black community.

"I'm a really big advocate for minority health disparity," she said. "We need education about what's attacking our community."

Huff said the biggest problems affecting the minority population include obesity, heart disease and cancer.

The week will continue today with healthy food sampling in Brady Commons and a stress reduction workshop 6 p.m. at the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center.