Gonorrhea

by Devonte W.

I've been living in Cook County all of my life and never been educated about gonorrhea. I took some time to educate myself a little more and want to share the information I've learned with YOU. Parents, teachers, and mentors should always make it their business to teach sexual awareness. Although I didn't learn about Sex Ed in school I was taught sexual risks & warnings from a mentor. The reason I wasn't taught about subjects like STIs, Gonorrhea , and AIDs ,etc.; because it wasn't offered at my school. Cook County has the most gonorrhea cases in the country, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can infect both men and women. It can cause infections in the genitals, rectum, and throat. It is a very common infection, especially among young people ages 15-24 years.

You can get gonorrhea by having unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted bacterium. Reading a recent study from the CDC, I've learned that in the nation, Chicago ranks 1st and 2nd, respectively, for the highest rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections among young people aged 15–19 years . To help reduce these high rates of STIs and prevent HIV infection among youth, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) partnered with the Chicago Department of Public Health(DPH) to pilot an education and testing  project for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Overall In the 2010–2011 school year, 15 high schools participated  in the STI pilot testing project. For the 12 high schools that completed the pilot testing program during the 2010−2011 school year,

• 3,189 students received HIV/STI prevention education and 2,188 students were tested.

• 289 students tested positive for an STI; 280 have received treatment thus far.

To help educate more students that weren't informed, like me,  CPS has built a policy for sexual outlets in school. Below is the new policy

http://policy.cps.k12.il.us/download.aspx?ID=57