Rap-It-Up tour stops in Nebraska, raises STD awareness

Music is one of the most popular artistic outlets influencing today's young, leading many teens to making lifestyle choices based on what's on their iPods or heard on the radio. In an effort to raise awareness of the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Black Entertainment Television (BET), a popular music channel, has launched the Rap-It-Up tour, according to the Omaha World Herald.

The Nebraska-based Institute for Student Empowerment worked with BET to make one of the four event stops to include Omaha, one of the state's regions with a high rate of STD cases among teenagers and young adults.

In addition to musical performances, people will have access to free STD screenings and information on virus prevention. If attendees do test positive for diseases such as chlamydia or gonorrhea, medical staff with help individuals find clinics that provide STD treatments.

Wes Hall, director of the institute, told the news source that "we're not going to stop until we get a handle on this epidemic." He added that celebrities are using their status to bring "the message 'you have to have a safe lifestyle,'" to today's young people.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 19 million new STD infections are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, and almost half of them are among people aged 15 to 24.

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