Patient Rights & Responsibilities

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HIV & STIs

If you're sexually active, you may be at risk of catching a sexually transmitted infection (STI). An STI is an infection that is contracted through sexual activity with a person who already has an STI. If you are infected with an STI, a sexually transmitted bacteria, virus, parasite, or fungi is present in your body and may or may not turn into a disease. Many STIs do not cause symptoms initially, so a person may be infected and not know it. Getting screened for STIs is easy and can prevent health complications for you and your sexual partners. Visit the Sexual Health and STIs health topic page to learn more.

HIV and AIDS

One of the most contagious and deadly STIs is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV interferes with the body's ability to fight off illness. As a result, people with HIV are unable to defend against cancers and infections their body would normally fight off, such as lymphoma, pneumonia, and meningitis. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) begins during the late stages of HIV, when serious, life-threatening symptoms develop. Currently there is no cure for AIDS. Your best defense against AIDS is to protect yourself from becoming infected with HIV. Visit the HIV/AIDS health topic page to learn more.

Safer Sex

Practicing safer sex means having sex without sharing semen, vaginal fluids, or blood—body fluids that can spread viruses or bacteria. You can reduce the risk of infection by using a new condom every time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Not all STIs are passed on by intercourse; for example, genital herpes can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact alone. So it’s important for you and your partner to talk about your sexual histories and get tested so you know you’re safe.

HIV and STI Testing

If there’s any possibility you may have HIV or an STI, it’s important to get tested. Don’t wait for obvious symptoms to appear. Many STIs are asymptomatic, at least initially, so it’s possible to carry the infection and transmit it to others unknowingly. You should consider getting tested if you:

• Have had sexual intercourse (vaginal, oral, or anal) without a condom or had a condom break
• Learn that your partner was not monogamous
• Have had multiple sexual partners
• Have been sexually assaulted
• Learn that a past or current partner has tested positive for an STI

MIT Medical Resources

MIT Medical offers confidential HIV and STI testing. Testing is free for all registered students, and test results will be returned in approximately four days. To learn about the difference between confidential and anonymous testing, go to the HIV/AIDS health topic page. To schedule a test at MIT Medical, call 617-253-4481.

Safer sex supplies, including condoms, lubricant, dental dams, female condoms, and latex gloves, are available free at the Center for Health Promotion & Wellness, E23-205, and, for a small fee, at the MIT Pharmacy.

HPV Vaccine (Gardasil)

MIT Medical offers the HPV vaccine Gardasil, which prevents the types of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts. Gardasil is routinely recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls, but is also recommended for girls and women ages 13 through 26 who have not yet been vaccinated or completed the vaccine series. Gardasil is administered in three shots given over a six-month period.

Health Insurance Coverage for Gardasil

For students, affiliates, and their dependents who are covered by the Student Extended Insurance Plan or Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan, Gardasil is covered as an immunization for females older than nine. As with other immunizations covered under these plans, members will pay a $20 copay per injection. Because Gardasil requires three doses of the vaccine to become effective, the total copay amount for the three-dose series will be $60.

Since Gardasil is not required for public health reasons, its cost is deducted from the $2,500 annual maximum prescription drug benefit under these plans. The actual cost of the vaccine is currently $150, so $130 per injection ($150 minus the $20 co-pay) will be deducted from your plan’s $3,500 annual maximum prescription benefit.

Subject to vaccine availability, MIT Medical can provide Gardasil to students, affiliates, and dependents who are not covered by the Student Extended Insurance Plan or the Affiliate Extended Insurance Plan. If the student or dependent has other insurance coverage that covers the Gardasil vaccine, her insurance carrier will be billed for Gardasil injections provided at MIT Medical. If her insurance carrier does not cover the injections, she will be billed $150 for each of the injections in the series ($450 total) and the cost of vaccine administration.

For more information on the Gardasil vaccine, speak with your primary care or OB/GYN care provider. For more information on insurance coverage for the Gardasil vaccine, contact Claims & Member Services at 617-253-5979 or mservices@med.mit.edu.