GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 6 | Page 54

A GLOBAL BURDEN
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
By Erica M. Luduc & Anne Scott

No matter where you are in the world, you need
to be armed with awareness... and condoms!
Hot holiday romances and steamy international one night stands are not
just the stuff of wistful chick lit or Netflix rom-coms, they are very much
part of the real love life of a GGI. But what should you do if like Erica, you
find yourself 4,263 km away, trembling in a sticky blue plastic chair in a
busy clinic, waiting for the result of an HIV test? By that stage there is
nothing you can do but wait and hope that like Erica’s, the result comes
back negative. As Erica tells Girl Gone International, “Through my own
travels I have learned that views on sexual health and the level to which it
is discussed openly, vary greatly. Knowledge and staying informed is the
key to protecting both your physical health and general well being. I wish I
knew back then what I know now.”