I was shocked recently when one of my best friends told me he had contracted a sexually transmitted disease known as genital herpes. Of course, I went through the same fright and paranoia that most people experience when they are told somebody close to them has a STD. I regret my feelings now because I purposefully hurt my friend through my reaction.

But an apology for my feelings is the least of what I owe him. I promised him that I would help spread the word regarding sexually transmitted diseases. So that is the topic of this column, in case you hadn’t noticed.

Wait!! Please don’t turn the page just yet, even if you think you are knowledgeable on the subject or above getting a STD. If you honestly believe that you are incapable of ever getting AIDS, genital herpes, gonorrhea or crabs, then you need to read this column. You are in for a rude awakening.

The truth is, you are not incapable of getting a STD. The truth is, nobody is, no matter how old you are, what sex you are or what color you are. None of that matters. What does matter is how you go about sexual intercourse.

According to a pamphlet by the Herpes Resource Center (HRC) in conjunction with the American Social Health Association (ASHA) “more than 31 million Americans between the ages of 15 and 74 have the virus that causes genital herpes.”

Wow! That is a whole lot of people. In fact, it averages out to one in six people has genital herpes. This STD is incurable and permanent. It causes blisters and sores to appear on the genitals which make them irritable. Usually, the blisters disappear after a few days. Sometimes they never come back, but usually they do.

Prostitutes and homosexuals are not the only people who get STDs. This is only a popular myth that serves to perpetuate these diseases into our society. It is important to realize that this is only a myth. Heterosexuals get STDs as frequently as anyone else. A virgin can lose her cherry and get AIDS. This is unfortunate, but it is true.

My friend has only slept with one woman in his entire life. He has never even kissed another woman. Yet, he now has genital herpes and they are never going to completely disappear. His STD is as permanent as his penis; they are married forever.

He has been dating his girlfriend for three years now. They were planning on getting married next winter and starting a family shortly thereafter. Before they were a couple, his girlfriend had slept with seven other men during high school.

That’s where the biggest problem with sex comes into the picture. She slept with seven people, but each one of those people probably had sex with at least one other person. That’s 14 different people she was exposed to and it practically increases exponentially when you move further down the chain.

I have no way of knowing if his girlfriend cheated on him or not. She swears that she didn’t and I’m willing to take her word for it. STDs usually appear two to 21 days after exposure. But according to the aforementioned pamphlet, “it is not uncommon to have an infection without any noticeable symptoms.”

So it is very possible that his girlfriend became infected with the STD virus over three years ago. That is a very scary thought.

I want you to think about something, and I want you to think about it very hard. Imagine every person that you have ever slept with and then imagine each person sleeping with the same number of people. Then imagine all of those people sleeping with you. That’s exactly what happened. You were exposed to everything those people have.

The only way to prevent the spread of STDs is to use protection, and we are not talking birth control pills and diaphragms here. Those are effective in preventing pregnancy (which you should also be worried about) but they have zero percent effectiveness against STDs. Absolutely none.

It is important to use a condom every time you have sex. In fact, it will probably be one of the most important things you ever do. In today’s society, with sexual disease running rampant among people, you have to watch out for yourself. Nobody else is capable of doing it for you.

Remember, you can contract an STD — it is something that you can get absolutely anywhere. Being in college is not going to protect you. Neither is being rich. I urge you to get tested for STDs if you have ever had any sexual experience. Not only will it ease your mind, but it will help your health. Don’t think I’m not talking to you, because I am. If you have ever had sex, you are at risk.

But please don’t laugh this off. I’m not telling you that you must never have sex ever again. We all know that sex is very pleasurable and very worthwhile. I’m just asking that you educate yourself on what is out there. I’m begging you to protect yourself. Don’t become another percentage point in the latest STD statistics.

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Ben Jones is a sophomore in English from Des Moines.