Call for Participation in February:
Safer Sex Awareness Month

February has traditionally been HIV/AIDS Awareness Month at Penn. This year, the Office of Health Education (a division of the Student Health Service) is broadening its focus to include other sexual health concerns related to HIV/AIDS. These include other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as Chlamydia, Herpes, Genital Warts, and Hepatitis-B. Students who have these STIs become more at risk for HIV infection if their STI symptoms go untreated: blisters, sores, and other minor genital lesions present opportunities for infection by the virus which causes AIDS. In addition, many students are carriers of STIs without realizing it: nationally, only 50% of all males with STIs (and 25% of all females with STIs) report symptoms which would prompt them to seek treatment.

With the support of student peer health educators in FLASH (Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health), the Office of Health Education is planning a series of awareness-raising events to promote safer sex and other strategies to reduce the risk of infection with HIV and other STIs. Included are FLASH workshops, free condom-giveaways, panel presentations, and video screenings. Free, anonymous HIV testing is available on-campus as well. For more information on specific events, please contact the Office of Health Education at 573-3525 or via e-mail: she@pobox.upenn.edu.

If you represent a campus group or office which wants to organize or co-sponsor an event for Safer Sex Awareness Month, your involvement is welcome and encouraged! Please use the above contact information to get involved in the planning.

--Kurt Conklin, FLASH Advisor, Office of Health Education