STD cases rising | News - Cadillac News
STD cases rising | News - Cadillac News |
- STD cases rising | News - Cadillac News
- Wrap It Up! STD Rates For African-Americans Are Four Times Higher Than White People In The US - BET
- Rise in STD cases prompts U.Va. community to take action - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily
| STD cases rising | News - Cadillac News Posted: 25 Nov 2019 09:00 PM PST  CADILLAC — Sexually transmitted diseases can be cleared up, but they don't always stay that way. If you are treated for a sexually transmitted disease like gonorrhea or chlamydia but your partner does not get treated and you resume sexual activity with them, you can get re-infected "The important thing is to be treated and have your partner come in and get treated,' said James Kent, a sexually transmitted diseases epidemiologist with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. If having that conversation with your partner or partners is difficult, your local health department can help you by notifying the partner on your behalf or by helping you practice telling them. The number of cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia combined in the United States is rising and reached an all-time high in 2018, according to the MDHHS. Michigan's STD data is mimicking the national trend, with gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia cases climbing in 2018, with chlamydia staying level over the past couple of years, gonorrhea increasing by 10% and syphillis climbing 28% in Michigan, Kent said. Rural northern Michigan tends to not have as severe of an STD problem as more urban areas. But the diseases are here, and just one or two more cases can mean the rates climb fast. "Just very generically, I found that smaller population counties had a bigger bump in syphilis cases this year,' Kent said, clarifying that he was speaking of 2018 over 2017. "A lot of rural counties had zero or one case of syphilis in 2017.' But a number of counties then had one to three cases in 2018. "So pretty small numbers, but relatively, a bigger jump,' Kent explained. The same sort of thing is true in smaller counties for gonorrhea; in fact, rural areas saw a greater than 10% increase in gonorrhea in Michigan while urban areas saw a less-than 10% increase. The uptick in the rate of gonorrhea cases is concerning because the disease has potential to become drug-resistant. Gonorrhea is treated with a shot and a pill. For District Health Department No. 10, which handles public health in 10 Northern Michigan counties, including Wexford, Missaukee and Lake counties, the most common of the reportable STDs is chlamydia (there are other sexually transmitted diseases, but not all of them are tracked by public health departments). "One of the problems with chlamydia is a lot of folks who have it do not show any symptoms,' said George Davis, clinical supervisor with District Health Department No. 10. Without symptoms, people can unknowingly spread the bacterial infection. Often, chlamydia is not caught until a woman's annual examination — men don't typically have the same sort of annual examination, and so women get diagnosed at higher rates. It's also important for patients to be honest with their doctors about sexual contact. Testing for chlamydia typically centers on the genitals, but the bacteria can live in the throat or rectum as well — so your health care team might miss the infection if you haven't shared all the relevant facts with them. STD transmission rates are highest during the summer months when the weather is warm, Kent said. That's especially true in northern communities. Still, the advice is the same no matter what time of year it is: wrap it up. In rural Michigan, most STD and sexually transmitted infections are among young people, most of whom are between 15 and 25 years old, Kent said. "They're having multiple — or they're new in relationships — they're having different relationships over time. Maybe they're just less experienced with a lot of things,' Kent said. "Those are the people that most often are going to get infected.' Regular testing is critical because symptoms of STDs are often absent; most infected people don't show symptoms of chlamydia and most women won't show symptoms of gonorrhea. Early syphilis symptoms can include sores and rashes; left untreated, syphilis is particularly nasty and can spread to the brain, nervous system and eyes. While STDs are more prevalent in young people in Michigan, seniors can also be at risk, particularly when they limit their thinking about sexual health to preventing pregnancy. Infertile adults — whether they are infertile because of a function of age, medical condition, or contraceptive — can still contract and spread STDs, experts said. Understanding risk, abstaining from sex, reducing the number of partners and consistently and correctly using condoms are all effective strategies to prevent the spread of STDs, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. Not sure where to get condoms or can't afford them? The CDC has a web tool to help you find free condoms. https://gettested.cdc.gov/  |
| Wrap It Up! STD Rates For African-Americans Are Four Times Higher Than White People In The US - BET Posted: 26 Nov 2019 03:43 PM PST As "Hot Girl Summer" begins to cool and cuffing season starts to reach a climax, an alarming report has surfaced revealing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have surged for the fifth year, and STD infection rates for African-Americans are four times higher than other populations. "Data highlighting the over-representation of sexually transmitted diseases in the African-American population is disappointing, but not shocking," the National Association of County and City Health Officials' Board vice president, Sandra Elizabeth Ford, MD, MBA, told The Charleston Chronicle. Syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea have surged for the fifth year, according to the newly released statistics on STDs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 2018 Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report states:
"More emphasis must be placed on those issues that present barriers to prevention and care of not only STDs but other chronic diseases, such as poverty and lack of insurance, as well as racism," said Dr. Ford. She continued, "Until we take a hard look at these factors, we will continue to see the broad inequities in diseases prevalence that we are currently observing." According to the CDC, drug use, poverty, stigma and unstable housing are just a few of the multiple factors that are contributing to the overall increase in STDs, saying it "can reduce access to STD prevention and care." Other factors include decreased condom use among young people and gay and bisexual men, along with cuts to STD programs at the state and local level in recent years. "At NACCHO, our mission is to improve the health of communities by strengthening and advocating for local health departments and supporting our minority communities to eliminate the long-standing gaps in care," said NACCHO Chief of Programs and Services Oscar Alleyne, DrPH, MPH. National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) works diligently to reduce health disparities in minority communities.  |
| Rise in STD cases prompts U.Va. community to take action - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily Posted: 13 Nov 2019 12:00 AM PST  Recently, despite the availability of antibiotics that effectively cure them, cases of STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis continue to rapidly spread across America. Virginia has not remained immune from this national trend, as the Thomas Jefferson Health District that encompasses Charlottesville witnessed a significant inflation of cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis infections rose in the United States by 19, 63 and 71 percent since 2014, respectively. Based on a report the CDC released in early October of 2019, gonorrhea grew by 5 percent and chlamydia by 3 percent from 2017 to 2018. Moreover, at least 2 million people suffered from one of the three illnesses, the most ever recorded by the CDC. Relatively common STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis wreak havoc on men and women's reproductive symptoms, causing swelling, sores, rashes, internal damage and bleeding. Transmission occurs via sexual contact with an infected individual or from a pregnant woman to her unborn child. Jamie Leonard, director of the office of health promotion in the Department of Student Health, listed several precautionary steps to prevent STDs, such as limiting the number of partners and using protection when engaging in sexual contact. When starting a relationship, Leonard recommended regular STD screenings and sharing one's STD status with any significant others. "Talking with a partner about expectations around condom usage, mutual monogamy and/or STI status ensures that everyone is on the same page, making informed decisions, and protecting themselves and their partner(s)," Leonard said. Young adults and homosexual males traditionally represent the most at-risk populations, the CDC claimed. However, as Clare Ruday, MSN, senior public health nurse and PrEP program manager for the Thomas Jefferson Health District noted, STDs affect a wide range of people. "Basically, anyone who has sex is at risk because you might be monogamous, but your partner isn't," Ruday said. "I think people forget about it or think STIs are just an issue for young people, but we want everybody to get tested." All three diseases are curable, but without treatment, serious complications can arise. Chlamydia can cause a fertilized egg to develop outside of the uterus, while severe syphilis can negatively impact the brain and heart. Infection also increases the probability of contracting HIV. The Thomas Jefferson Health District, which spans Charlottesville and five counties in central Virginia, noticed local trends that mirrored those reported by the CDC. Ruday stated that over the past five years, syphilis cases surged by 77 percent, with gonorrhea following at 33 percent and chlamydia at 29 percent. Approximately 57,000 Virginia residents received STD diagnoses in 2018, whereas only 55,000 did the previous year. "[The diseases are] happening here," Ruday said. "People don't think it's here but it's here … nobody really wants to talk about it or think about it. My job is to put it in front of people." The CDC attributed national patterns to factors that impede people's ability to obtain effective STD care, prevention education and resources. Reasons include poverty, substance abuse and recent fund reductions for local and state programs that combat STDs. Furthermore, a general decrease in condom use has left individuals more vulnerable to STD transmission. In fact, the Thomas Jefferson Health District offers free condoms to the Charlottesville community and students as one of the first lines of defense against STDs. The medical center also conducts free walk-in clinics on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons that address sexual health, and on the first and third Wednesday evenings of each month, they host free "test and go" clinics. The event provides community members with the opportunity to quickly have blood and specimen collected and screened for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV and Hepatitis B and C. Staff even attempt to make the experience enjoyable, showing a movie and supplying attendees with snacks as they wait. The Elson Student Health Center engages in similar forms of intervention and aid focused specifically on students. Clinicians examine patients for indicators of STIs and advise them on steps moving forward, regardless of a person's test results. Currently, it costs $30 to be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia at the Elson Student Health Center, and Student Council is planning to offer 70 free STI tests in an event at the center towards the end of the fall semester. Dr. Meredith Hayden, associate executive director of the Department of Student Health, promoted these resources. "Student Health is a great resource for students," Hayden said. "Clinicians are skilled in screening, treating and preventing infections." In addition, the Department of Student Health places a particular emphasis on education via the healthy sexuality issue of The Stall Seat Journal, as well as Peer Health Educators. Both serve to inform and counsel the public about safe practices when choosing to be sexually active. "PHEs provide one-on-one patient education to students about a variety of college health issues," Leonard said. "They provide outreach education to groups, i.e. residence halls, fraternities/sororities and student groups, etc., on college health issues, including sexual health." Whether seeking advice and treatment from the Thomas Jefferson Health District or Student Health, students and community members can attend STD screenings, clinics and consultations with trained medical professionals and health advisors. However, as Ruday emphasized, along with routine screenings, one of the keys to remaining healthy is as simple as communicating with potential and current partners. "[You can get yourself tested] regularly so at least you know your status and can share that with your partner, or you can at least know you are covered," Ruday said. "It shows [your partners] that you value your health and expect them to respect it as well." For more information about resources for STD prevention and treatment: Thomas Jefferson Health District clinic: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/thomas-jefferson/sexual-health-services/ 434-972-6269 Elson Student Health Center: https://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/medical-services  |
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