During today and tomorrow, the Students' Union at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) is attempting to break the world record for the highest amount of Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing in a single day.
The event will be held as part of the Freshers' Fair in front of the Lanyon building at QUB, from 10am to 5pm on both days.
The objective of the event is to normalise STI testing, break the stigma associated with sexual health and to encourage students to check themselves on a regular basis.
It is in partnership with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and supported by Mexican restaurant Boojum, a popular hotspot for Belfast's students.
All students are encouraged to take an STI test and there will be a chance to win free Boojum food for a year among other spot prizes.
QUB's Students' Union said: "It's a quick swab or pee in a cup. It's DIY, quick and painless! We have a huge branded toilet truck outside the Lanyon building at Queen's. We also have flyers, t-shirts and stickers, so that students can proudly display that they have ‘pee’d in a cup’ or ‘swabbed myself.’"
Statistics revealed by the Public Health Agency (PHA) last month showed an increase in the number of new STIs within Northern Ireland. There was a particular increase in diagnoses of gonorrhoea and infectious syphilis, which rose by 72% since 2017. New diagnoses of chlamydia were also up by 6%.
Multiple STIs such as these can often go untreated if people do not get themselves tested, because the symptoms are so subtle or because there are no symptoms at all.
The Western University in Canada currently holds the world record for the most STI testing in a single day, which they accomplished in 2016. Although the feat was not officially recognised by Guinness World Records, it set a new benchmark and has encouraged universities across the globe to raise more awareness about sexual health.
