Prepare Before You’re There
by Ngozi Osuagwu, MD | April 10th, 2022
Last week I gave a lecture on the Well Woman Exam to the OB/GYN and Family residents where I practice. When it came to the topic of sexually transmitted diseases, they were stunned by the stats:
- 1 in 5 people in the United States has a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
- Almost half of new STIs were among youth aged 15 – 24 in the US.
- New STIs total nearly $16 billion in direct medical costs.
- There has been a 19% increase in chlamydia cases since 2015.
- There has been a 56% increase in gonorrhea cases since 2015.
- There has been a 74% increase in syphilis since 2015.
- Due to increases in syphilis cases, there has been a 279% increase in syphilis among newborns.
We are going in the wrong direction regarding sexually transmitted infections. We are not winning the battle, but we can. This week is STD Awareness Week. This week provides an opportunity to raise awareness about STDs and how they impact our lives. We use this time to reduce STD-related stigma, fear, and discrimination. This year, I will focus on the Prepare Before You’re There campaign. It starts by taking a brief interactive quiz to see if you are at risk for an STI. Click here to take the quiz. When you finish the quiz, you will be directed to tools and resources to help you make a ‘game plan.’
STIs do not discriminate. STIs are not always associated with symptoms. Sometimes the only way to know if you have an infection is to get tested.
For more information, visit the CDC’s website.
Find fast and confidential testing near you – click here.
