Today, May 13, the Belarusian National Technical University hosted the dialogue platform "Students. Safety. Future," dedicated to preventing crime and bad habits among young people. The speakers touched on important aspects of legal and medical literacy that directly affect the future of young people.
Anna Kosenkova, Deputy Chair of the Juvenile Affairs Commission of the Sovietsky District Administration of Minsk; Irina Kofanova, an addiction specialist at the Minsk City Clinical Addiction Center; and Maria Pavlyuchenko, an epidemiologist at the State Institution "Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Sovietsky District of Minsk."
Anna Kosenkova spoke about how harmless pranks can result in criminal cases, fines, and a damaged reputation.
She also warned that CCTV cameras can identify violators in minutes, even if they're smoking in an underpass.
The event was followed by Irina Kofanova, who discussed the harmful effects of psychoactive substances in detail. She cautioned students against the common misconception that beer is harmless:
"Half a liter of beer, with an average strength, is equivalent to 50 grams of vodka. Beer drinkers develop a 'bull's heart'—it becomes two to three times larger than normal, the left ventricle becomes constricted, and the person essentially lives on the right one alone."
The speaker placed particular emphasis on e-cigarettes, whose aromatic resins, when heated, can cause lung, laryngeal, and tongue cancer.
"Vapors experience the death of a certain number of neurons in the brain," Irina Evgenyevna stated.
Maria Pavlyuchenko, in turn, covered the topic of HIV in detail, dispelling the myth that this problem only affects marginalized groups. According to her, the primary route of transmission is sexual intercourse.
"The virus is quite resistant to the external environment: it can survive in a drop of blood on objects for up to 14 days, and in the blood itself for up to 30 days," she explained.
Maria Dmitrievna noted the 28-day period after infection, when the test still doesn't show a result, so she recommended taking the test twice, three months apart.
The open dialogue with specialists helped students better understand the consequences of bad habits and irresponsible behavior and make the right choice in favor of a healthy and law-abiding lifestyle. We thank the speakers for their informative dialogue with young people!
