Letter to the editor: The Clap
Dear Editor:
I am writing to Pacer Times after reading the article titled “STD of the week: The Clap (Gonorrhea).” Initially, I was very happy to see this effort to educate our students on this topic because we know that students learn from other students.
Unfortunately, as I read the article I realized that the information was not well informed. The writer stated, “The best way to mitigate the spread of gonorrhea is to get tested for it, which can prevent current or future sexual partners from contracting it” and implied that condoms were not a good alternative. The link to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), however, states something very different, and I am hopeful that those people reading this article went to the link so they would see the excellent information provided regarding this topic.
To quote from the CDC website, “Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of gonorrhea 22. The surest way to avoid transmission of gonorrhea or other STDs is to abstain from vaginal, anal, and oral sex, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.”
Learning about STD’s is incredibly important for students. With gonorrhea, over 1.4 million infections occur in the US annually, and as many as half occur in people ages 15-24. Per the CDC, in 2019, SC was ranked number four in the US for gonorrhea. As you can see, providing information about STD’s is much needed for our students, but it is equally important that the information they receive matches the information from valid resources, like the CDC.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could correct the article to ensure that our students have the best information possible. Thank you.
Pacer Times would like to comment that the appropriate changes have been made to the article and would like to formally apologize for the misphrasing and subsequent misinformation.
