MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation hope to get college students and 5,000 health centers to test for STIs in their “GYT: Get Yourself Tested” campaign. The month of April being National STD Awareness Month is the perfect time to launch the effort as youth ages 15-24 account for nearly half of all new STD cases in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control. Reports have also shown that Blacks and Hispanics contract STDs at a significantly higher rate.
“MTV has sustained a strong commitment to challenging the stigma that prevents countless young people from getting tested for STDs and HIV,” said Jason Rzepka, Vice President of MTV Public Affairs, via press release. “We’re proud that GYT has helped drive notable increases in STD testing, but there’s no finish line in this race, and we will continue to do all we can to help our audience make responsible decisions about their sexual health.” Youth often don’t get tested thinking that they’d know if they had an infection, but facilitators hope to re-educate and remove the stigma completely.
