The sexual health outreach campaign aims to normalize STI testing and make it part of one’s routine, like going to the dentist.
Concordia Health Services Clinic organized a Sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing mobile clinic, “Pee to See, Swab to Know,” on Oct. 23 in the atrium of the EV Building.
During this second event of the semester, 30 people were tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea, two of the most common sexually transmitted infections, according to Gaby Szabo, a registered nurse and a health promotion specialist at the Health Services Clinic.
The testing campaign was brought to the university by Health Services in 2016, taking inspiration from other universities.
“We started once a semester, it was popular and well-received. [Then we did] twice a semester and now we’re aiming for three times this semester,” said Szabo.
According to Sex Lives Report 2024, which was published earlier this month by Toronto-based charity LetsStopAIDS, STIs have been on the rise in Canada with six per cent having been diagnosed with an STI in the past six months compared to two per cent in the 2023 report.
It also noted that about 67 per cent of young Canadians have never been tested for an STI, and equal numbers stated that their healthcare providers did not proactively discuss STI and HIV testing with them.
At the pop-up clinic, participants registered, then met with a nurse to collect the testing materials and get instructions on how to collect the samples. The participants were given a follow-up appointment to get their test results.
Erika, a fourth-year undergraduate student who asked to use an alias for privacy, appreciated the convenience of the pop-up clinic compared to services she tried to access through ClicSanté, which often took weeks or months to book an appointment.
“[My follow-up appointment] was in less than a month. My standards are low, but it’s pretty good,” she said, smiling.
The pop-up clinic’s open layout and location was chosen on purpose to destigmatize STIs and testing, explained Szabo.
“When students walk by and they see their classmates lining up to get tested […] that has a really powerful impact on just normalizing that this is just something you do as part of taking care of yourself,” she said.
Kim Erin, a first-year creative writing student who passed by to get information about a vaccine, does not recall learning much about STIs and testing in her high school sex education classes.
In Szabo’s own experience in teaching sex education classes, she has seen the range of knowledge widely, including some misconceptions.
“I think the most common misconception is that if a person doesn’t have symptoms that they’re okay, they’re ‘clean,’ [but] absolutely not,” she said. A person can have no symptoms, but their body is still experiencing damage and harm from an infection. This is why it’s so important for your STI testing to be part of your routine, it’s just something you do every six to 12 months.”
While the LetsStopAIDS report highlighted the ongoing stigma around STIs, with about 70 per cent stating that conversations about them were very challenging, Szabo said the younger people she came across were more open.
Multiple participants said there was less of a taboo among their friends compared to older generations.
“I’ve never had anyone my age be like, ‘yuck!’” Erika said. “Sex gets better when you know that it’s safe and that the [other] person has been tested.”
In addition to the pop-up clinics which are held a few times a semester, students can also book an appointment at the clinic year-round for testing. They can also get vaccinated against HPV and other STIs at the clinic.
