Despite what he might think, Joe Q. Student is not Superman.

Nowhere is that fact more apparent, perhaps, than in the rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), some of which are deadly.

Cases of these diseases are rising — to epidemic proportion, doctors now say — among the American population as a whole. Among young people the numbers are most astonishing. Recently released figures indicate that three million new cases of STDs are diagnosed in teen-agers alone every year.

“I think it’s a problem nationwide and worldwide,” said Dr. Rebecca Fritzsche, a staff physician at Student Health Services. “We don’t see all people who have STDs, because some of them go to Planned Parenthood or the McFarland Clinic, but I’d say it’s about average as far as large universities go.”

Sexually transmitted diseases include dozens of ailments passed on by sexual activities. They range from hepatitis B, against which people may be vaccinated, to chlamydia, which quick detection can cure, to AIDS.

All of these diseases are preventable through abstinence. The risk can be considerably lowered by proper and consistent use of condoms and other contraceptives during sex.

But some diseases, like genital warts, can bypass even a condom’s protection, Fritzsche said. Oftentimes, wart-infected skin is not covered by a condom, and the disease can pass just through skin-to-skin contact.

Many problems go undetected, especially where AIDS is concerned. An AIDS-infected person can feel perfectly healthy for years before even realizing there’s a problem.

Plus, surveys show that one in 50 Americans is aware of having genital herpes, yet one in five actually has the disease. In the meantime, those infected can pass the virus on to other people.

The scary aspect of the epidemic for young people is that two-thirds of those who have a sexually transmitted disease are infected before their 25th birthdays.

The problem, Fritzsche said, is not a lack of sex education in elementary and high school. “I think we have a high risk here because there’s never been a more highly educated amount of students in here,” she said. “Everybody knows this stuff, but they don’t incorporate the education into their behavior. They think, ‘It can’t happen to me.'”

While 70 percent of teen-agers have had at least one sexual partner by the 12th grade, few learn how to prevent these diseases. Having several sexual partners ups a person’s chances at acquiring an STD.

Fritzsche describes many college students’ sexual behavior as “serial monogamy.” This is when a student dates one person, has a sexual relationship with him or her, they break up, and each one moves on to another sexual relationship.

While students may view this as “monogamy,” since they may be faithful within the relationship, Fritzsche said that such practices really constitute multiple partners. She said that calling it “monogamy” is a “rationalization” for risky behavior.

“People really feel that they’re committed to people, that this is the person I’m going to marry, but it doesn’t work out,” Fritzsche said. Moving on to another sexual relationship “leads to increased transmission, increased risk because it’s high-risk, multiple partners.”

Another troublesome aspect of college life, Fritzsche said, is the widespread use of alcohol. A few beers and a shot or two have been known to weaken the will of even the most staunch believer in waiting until marriage.

“Some people have the best of intentions of abstinence, who, after a few drinks, sleep with people whose names they don’t even know,” she said, “people who they wouldn’t even eat breakfast with had they been sober.”

She recommends ascertaining that bed buddies are disease-free, even if it means “turning on the lights and making sure their partner doesn’t have any lumps and bumps,” she said.

Even the use of condoms are not always 100 percent effective: “They shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that they’re completely protected,” she said, especially since some diseases can get around condoms.

Getting tested comes highly recommended. Student Health offers free testing for gonorrhea, chlamydia and AIDS. AIDS testing has specific hours (Wed., from 1 to 4 p.m. and Fri., from 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.), but students can just walk in for checks on the other two diseases.

“The statistics are frightening,” Fritzsche said. “Students need to be very careful and very aware.”