Letter: Column on STDs perpetuates myths about STDs

I respect Christopher Scoville's anger and concern over questions about STD screening at Duke. Unfortunately, the inaccuracies and tone of his April 11 opinion column simply perpetuate the myths about STD screening that Ray Rodriguez, myself and my colleagues in the Student Health Center are working to dispel.

Every student that requests one does deserve a screen for STDs. It is essential to understand that screening for STDs starts with a medical evaluation and sexual history to assess the risk for disease. Testing should be based on the information from this evaluation. The criteria for high risk behavior are available at the Centers for Disease Control website, www.cdc.gov. Duke students, with notable exceptions, tend to be lower risk (not no risk - also an important distinction). Our own statistics for positive STD tests confirm this.

I have never been "implicitly told to limit the number of STD referrals due to financial constraints." It is important for me to be a careful steward of the health fee, but if a test needs to be done, it is done. I left private practice in part because of the restrictions placed on my medical decisions by HMOs and other corporate entities - Student Health has been refreshingly free of such dangerous constraints.

If Scoville's column promotes further dialogue about STD screening and safer sexual practices, then it was worthwhile. We do have a problem here at Duke with students who feel that STD testing excuses them from responsible sexual behavior. This small group of "high risk" individuals is a danger to the health and safety of other Duke students. They are also the people who need repeated STD testing and ongoing discussion about the risks they are creating for themselves and others. You, as their peers, have as much power as anyone to convince these individuals to seek the care and counseling they need in order to be healthy, contributing members of the Duke community.