Rising cases of STDs in Northwest Georgia call for caution
By Sarah Abercrombie
[email protected]
Staff Writer
For most students college life represents a time of increasing independence and choices. New friends are made and freedoms are explored.
As students become more independent and freer to make their own choices, risk taking is common. Risky sexual behaviors increase a person's odds for contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including syphilis.
Syphilis can cause life-threatening health problems if left untreated and is especially dangerous during pregnancy when infection can cause birth defects and stillbirth.
According to information from the Northwest Georgia Public Health Epidemiology Office, during 2006 Georgia ranked number three nationally in the reported syphilis case rates per 100,000 population and number five nationally in the actual number of reported syphilis cases.
Public health officials are working in a cooperative national initiative aimed at reducing the rates of syphilis and other STDs. Syphilis is a major health concern in the South where nearly 50 percent of the nation's cases are diagnosed.
Syphilis is most common in persons 20 to 39 years of age with the highest rates in women 20 to 24 years of age, said Debra Abercrombie, Northwest Georgia Public Health's chief epidemiologist.
In late 2007, Abercrombie developed the agency's "Syphilis Is Back - If You're At Risk, Get Tested" multi-media campaign using the internet, billboards, bumper stickers, posters and bookmarks to get the agency's STD risk reduction and testing message out to the ten counties in the northwest Georgia area.
According to Abercrombie, the risk for contracting syphilis and other STDs, including gonorrhea and chlamydia, increases during unprotected sexual activity with partners whose STD status is not known.
Further, Abercrombie states that confidential, low-cost testing is available at all county health departments. Also, county health departments provide no-cost treatment to anyone testing positive for syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia and no-cost testing and treatment for referred partners of individuals with positive test results.
Although effective and curative treatment is available for syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, other STDs such as genital warts, genital herpes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and some forms of infectious hepatitis can cause life-long health problems. HIV and hepatitis have the potential for fatal outcomes.
For information on how to reduce your risk of contracting STDs, visit Northwest Georgia Public Health's syphilis campaign site at http://www.GetTestedNWGeorgia.com, the Georgia Public Health Syphilis Elimination Program site at http://www.health.state.ga.us/programs/std/syphilis/index.asp or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention STD site at http://www.cdc/gov/std.
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