October 25, 2016 BY imani leave a comment
A new study released by the Center for Disease Control shows that reported Infections from three sexually transmitted diseases have hit an all-time-high.
The CDC’s annual STD surveillance report shows that reported cases of chlamydia rose by 6 percent, reported cases of gonorrhea rose more than 12 percent, and reported cases of syphilis rose by more than 19 percent. All three can be treated with antibiotics, but most cases go undiagnosed and untreated for months or even years.
Data on other STDs, such as HPV, herpes simplex virus and trichomoniasis, are not routinely tracked and were not included in the new report. While HIV is a STD that is actively tracked, it also was not included in this report.
Most STD cases continue to go undiagnosed and untreated, putting people at risk for severe and often irreversible health consequences, the CDC said. The economic burden to the U.S. health-care system is nearly $16 billion a year, according to the CDC.
CDC officials said STD rates are rising at a time when many of the country’s systems for preventing those infections have worn away. In recent years, more than half of state and local STD programs have had their budgets cut, resulting in more than 20 health department STD clinics closing in one year alone.
MASS offers Medical Case Management Services to eligible clients, which includes individual needs assessment and development of comprehensive service plans, as well as complex HIV/AIDS and STD treatments.
MASS has implemented HIV testing and a group level intervention in the numerous Hampton and Newport News jails, as well as, established a presence at many community fairs for National HIV/AIDS Days during the year. MASS has provided HIV testing and prevention services to over 1000 inmates and clients in the communities which are high-risk for HIV/AIDS.
The CDC estimates that nearly 10 million new STD cases ever year are from people between the ages of 15 and 24, putting young people at high risk for infection and transmission. The CDC also says that gay and bisexual men are also at a higher risk than the general population.
Dr. Gail Bolen, director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, says that the study’s findings make it clear that Americans are not getting much-needed preventive services.
“To reverse the STD epidemic, we should all learn to talk more openly about STDs — with our partners, parents and providers,” she said.
Additionally, she added that it will be important to continue to study and monitor the adverse health complications of STDs, which include the risk of infertility and a greater vulnerability for HIV, among other health effects.
“It is my hope that a decade from now, we will be reporting on progress, instead of more health inequity in our society,” Bolan wrote.