Our cell phones can help us with everything from online banking to finding a restaurant in a new city. But when I heard about the latest task our mobile phones could be taking on, even I, an avid iPhone user, was shocked. A research project in Europe is currently working on creating a way for smartphones to diagnose sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Small chips would use fluids, such as urine and saliva, to test for STDs. You would then connect the chip to your smartphone to process the results. Pretty crazy, huh? The chips are projected to cost around $3 and could be sold in vending machines or nightclubs.

The most common STD symptom is no symptom, so many people that have an STD are unaware that they have one. Unfortunately, many will also never be tested—maybe because they’re too embarrassed to make the trip to see their doctor or visit a health clinic or they are apprehensive about the results. But with these chips, there should be no more excuses! All you may have to do is stop texting for a few minutes (I know you can do it!) and test yourself quickly.

Though they may not be ready for up to 10 years, would you pick one of these up to test yourself?

—Melanie Johnson, 18, Staff Writer

“Family planning” might sound like the title of your freshman year health class or what your parents did while picking out cribs and Onesies. But for teens, the phrase means access to vital sexual health services. These clinics can provide counseling about birth control, pregnancy and STDs. They also offer sexual health exams and give STD and pregnancy tests.

In New Jersey, these services may be denied to people who need them. Governor Christie cut $7.5 million of family planning funding from the proposed state budget, but the state senate squeezed that money back into the budget with a new bill. The victory isn’t final though. If the governor chooses to veto the bill, it will return to the state senate for a final vote. This means over 50 clinics, most run by Planned Parenthood, must continue to brace themselves for big cuts.

These clinics are absolutely necessary. Many working people without health insurance, including teens with low salaries, can’t afford clinic services. And for those teens who can’t talk to their parents or guardians about sexual health, a state funded clinic may be the only way to get health care services, like pregnancy and STD tests. Cutting this funding would affect over 130,000 people throughout New Jersey, including many teens. And similar changes may follow nationwide. With unplanned pregnancy and STD rates on the rise, we, especially lawmakers, must remember that even in a difficult economy we can’t afford to cut family planning. The consequences are simply too grim.

—Meg Gibbon, 18, Contributor

With a brand-new season of Jersey Shore rapidly approaching, we’re anticipating raging parties, big hair poufs and… STDs?!

According to a recent article from The New York Post, popular reality television shows, like Jersey Shore and Celebrity Rehab, are really concerned about their cast members getting STDs. In fact, during a roundtable discussion with reality show producers hosted by The Hollywood Reporter, a Jersey Shore producer claimed that they hand out Valtrex, a popular medication for treating herpes, “like M&Ms.”

This isn’t all that surprising, especially considering Pauly D’s wild one-night stands with random strangers. But on TV these hookups are portrayed like carefree, harmless fun, without any potential health risks or dangerous consequences.

Of course, there’s no way to know for sure whether these reality shows really are hotbeds for STDs, unless everyone is tested. But with all the random flings, you would think that there would be some talk of safer sex. Yet safer sex—which is critical for reducing the risk of getting STDs, such as herpes and HIV—is simply glossed over during filming. Rarely do we see Snooki rushing to buy condoms or Mike the Situation getting tested for-or at the very least worrying about—gonorrhea.

But just because we don’t see cast members dealing with itchy red bumps or wondering if they should be tested after last nights escapade doesn’t mean STDs aren’t part of real life. Reality shows would be a lot more “real” if they actually showed the consequences of engaging in risky sex. Hopefully, this season we’ll start hearing more about preventing or treating STDs and less about doing GTLs (gym, tan, laundry).

—Cynthia Lam, 16, Staff Writer

Did you know that one out of five people with HIV in the U.S. does not even know they are infected? If you think, “Oh, it could never happen to me,” ask yourself, “How can I be sure?”

Think about it! Anyone—young or old, male or female, black or white, gay or straight—can get HIV. So how can you really be sure whether or not you have HIV? There’s only one way to know for certain—get tested.

No matter how safe you think you are are when having sex, get tested.
No matter how much you trust your partner to be STD and HIV-free, get tested.
No matter how scared you are of getting tested, get tested.

Saturday, June 27th is National HIV Testing Day. Grab the widget below and spread the word about getting tested on MySpace or your personal Web site or blog. Check out Blog.AIDS.gov for real stories and videos. And, most importantly, get yourself tested!

To find easy, confidential testing sites in your area, you can simply text your ZIP code to “KNOWIT” (566948), or visit HIVTest.org.

This week MTV premiered Pedro, a film about the life of AIDS activist Pedro Zamora. He was the first openly gay, HIV-positive person on TV. Pedro’s story is just as relevant today as it was in 1994, when he grabbed the nation’s attention on The Real World: San Francisco.

Pedro was diagnosed as HIV positive when he was 17 years old. While MTV’s cameras were rolling, Pedro used the spotlight to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and openly talked about how he got HIV through unprotected sex. Although he died when he was only 22 years old, his story lives on as a reminder for young people to take control of their sex lives and to speak openly and honestly about safer sex and getting tested.

MTV’s Get Yourself Tested (GYT) is a new campaign, aiming to remove the taboos surrounding STD testing. One in two young people will get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) by age 25-and most won’t know it! So before foreplay, GYT!