City’s Newest STD Resource Offers Online Testing

San Francisco, CA –  San Francisco STD officials will unveil the City’s newest system to ensure that San Francisco residents have better access, greater convenience, and easier choices in personal STD testing for people at risk for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV and herpes.

A confidential online testing resource, www.STDTest.org, is a collaboration between Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS) and the San Francisco Department of Public Health - STD Prevention and Control. It will be presented Wed. Sept. 24, 11:30 a.m. at Gotham Tattoo Parlor (3991 17th St. at Market), one of seven participating lab testing locations.

Through STDTest.org, individuals print their own lab slips and locate a nearby testing site to provide their samples. Test results then arrive within three to five days, accessible online by a unique identifier (PIN). HIV test results are delivered on the phone by a trained counselor. The Department of Public Health will ensure all persons who test positive for an STD receive information on treatment options as soon as possible, whether through City Clinic or their own healthcare provider.

“STDTest.org demonstrates an effective partnership to match new technology and creative resources with local prevention, testing and treatment options, particularly for gay men and young adults,” said Deb Levine, ISIS Executive Director. “Providing accessible and free tools that empower people to take charge of their own sexual health is key in reducing disease in our community.”

After several years of declining syphilis rates in San Francisco, the number of reported cases of early syphilis for the first half of 2008 was 274, up nearly 35% compared to the same period in 2007. In 2007, 595 cases of rectal chlamydia and 494 cases of rectal gonorrhea were diagnosed among men who have sex with men in the city, while the rate of chlamydia among African-American adolescents was over 7 times that of white adolescents.

Through a safe, easy, and secure online payment mechanism, STDTest.org users can “Pay it Forward”– donating a test to family, friends, loved ones, or someone in need– allowing the entire community to benefit from information and services available.

“While frequent testing for individuals can ensure individual sexual health and disease prevention, we also recognize most testing services do not come without a price,” said Levine. “We remain committed to offering STDTest.org for free to any San Francisco resident in need of testing, especially those reluctant or unable to seek medical care for STDs, relying upon community generosity instead of usage fees.” In-kind services have already been donated by Paypal, and a starting “Pay it Forward” donation from an anonymous funder.

Everyone Can “Pay it Forward” While “Playing It Safe”

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Herpes Testing

Here’s a Familiar Song for Ya!

Hat Tip! ISIS-INC.org

CDC announced that rates of syphilis in the U.S. have risen for the seventh year in a row

In other news from the National STD Prevention Conference, CDC announced that rates of syphilis in the U.S. have risen for the seventh year in a row. While the overall increases in 2007 were primarily among males, and the increase largely reflects continued syphilis increases among men who have sex with men (MSM), rates among women rose as well. Overall, syphilis rates rose 12 percent in 2007, as the number of cases increased from 9,756 in 2006 to 11,181 in 2007. Although CDC indicated that the data is preliminary and subject to change, they remain confident in the overall trends.

After declining through the 1990s, rates of syphilis have been on the rise, increasing 76 percent since 2000. In 2007, overall increases were largely among males, with the rate among men roughly six times higher than that among women. CDC data show that approximately 64 percent of all syphilis cases in 2007 were among MSM. The CDC continues to highly recommend that men who have sex with men get tested annually for such STIs as syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea and to make sure they are tested at the three exposure sites: anal, oral, and/or urethral.

“The resurgence of syphilis among MSM represents a formidable challenge to our STD prevention efforts, but one that is surmountable,” remarked Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. “The solution comes down to making STD screening and treatment a central part of medical care for gay and bisexual men, while finding innovative ways to help MSM avoid STD infections – including HIV – in the first place.”

One in four young females in the U.S. has at least one common sexually transmitted infection

One in four young females in the U.S. has at least one common sexually transmitted infection (STI), according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in Chicago. In the study, 838 girls aged 14-19 were tested for a range of STIs, including chlamydia, HPV, trichomoniasis, and genital herpes. According to the results, an alarming total of 3.2 million teen girls (about 26% of girls in this age group) were infected.

According to the report, 20% of Caucasian and Mexican American girls had an STI, while the percentage was 48% for African American girls, demonstrating that group is most at risk. About 15% of those who had an STI were found to have more than one. Out of the young women who reported having had only one partner, one in five had an STI. The two most common STIs were HPV at 18.3% and chlamydia at 3.9%.

The CDC released results from an additional study that may help explain why the STI rate is so high in young women. This second study showed that most women who received contraception from their doctors did not receive any information on STIs or how to prevent them, and the importance of testing was not discussed. The CDC suggests that young, sexually active women be tested each year for chlamydia and other STIs. They also stress the importance of the Gardasil(R) vaccine, which helps prevent genital warts and cervical cancer.

STDs that can be cured

Here’s a list of STDs that can be cured. In other words, you can take medicine to make it leave your body for good.

• Chlamydia
• Trichomoniasis (”trich”)
• Gonorrhea (”clap”)
• Syphilis (”syph”)

Where you can get help with HIV

What are the dangers of STDs?

• Chlamydia and gonorrhea can make you sterile so you can never have a baby.
• Herpes causes sores on the genitals. The sores can come back again and again.
• Some types of HPV cause genital warts. Other types of HPV can lead to cervical cancer in women.
• HIV can kill you.

What are STDs?

Talk about STDs

How do you get STDs?

ASHA Recognizes National Condom Week

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, ASHA recognizes National Condom Week 2008 (February 11-16) and emphasizes the importance of safer sex. Safer sex practices have never been more critical: Despite hundreds of millions of tax dollars spent on abstinence-only education programs, there are approximately 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the U.S. each year, about half of which occur among youth ages 15-24. The evidence is overwhelming that among those who are sexually active, consistent and correct condom use greatly reduces the risk of contracting infections like HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Research has also shown that young women whose male partners use condoms regularly cut their risk of acquiring HPV significantly. One hurdle to safer sex is negotiating condom use with partners. Sometimes this is difficult if a lover thinks that using condoms diminishes intimacy or lessens the spontaneity of sex. ASHA’s website has a special page with tips on talking with partners who might be reluctant to use condoms, and explains how the best sex is safer sex. You can also download free Condom Week posters in English and Spanish on ASHA’s site. Condoms are inexpensive, readily available, and easy to use. More importantly, used correctly they offer a significant level of protection against STIs. Use condoms from start to finish, every time: This is one “no brainer” no one ever regrets.

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There might be a vaccine for Chlamydia in 2010

Scientists in Australia are one step closer to discovering a vaccine for the common sexually-transmitted infection, chlamydia. A team from Queensland University of Technology and Harvard Medical School has already identified proteins that are able to protect against chlamydia and plan to breed mice with these immune fighting cells.

These cells, known as T-cells will be specifically directed to protect against the mouse strain of chlamydia. In doing so, they’ll be able to learn about what is involved in protecting mice against chlamydia infection and then duplicate those responses with vaccines.

“We’ve been testing these proteins as part of animal trials…and we think we’ve got the answer. It is possible that within three to five years we’ll be finished the animal trials and be looking at clinical trials in humans,” said Professor Peter Timms, from QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI).

With 3 million new cases per year, Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STI in the U.S., especially among teens and young adults. The infection can be particularly dangerous for women, as many experience few or no symptoms and are unaware of their infection. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause serious complications and irreversible damage, including infertility.

Talk about Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Can chlamydia be tested for through blood work?

Here’s the question:

I got the call yesterday that I have chlamydia. The only two people I have been with say they have been tested and both have been negative so someone is lying. The guy who I think I contracted it from says he requested to be tested for STIs/STDs when he enlisted in the military (they take your blood for HIV test). Now I’m just curious can they detect that you contracted chlamydia just through blood work? Or does it have to be from a swab or urine sample?

Here’s my response:

Chlamydia tests use a sample of body fluid or urine to see whether chlamydia bacteria (Chlamydia trachomatis) are present and causing an infection. Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States.

Several types of tests can be used to find a chlamydia infection. Most tests use a sample of body fluid from the affected area.

* Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT). These tests find the genetic material (DNA) of chlamydia bacteria. These tests are the most sensitive tests available. This means they are very accurate and that they are very unlikely to have false-positive test results. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is an example of a nucleic acid amplification test. This test can also be done on a urine sample.

* Nucleic acid hybridization tests (DNA probe test). A probe test also finds chlamydia DNA. A probe test is very accurate but is not as sensitive as nucleic acid amplification tests.

* Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, EIA). This common, quick test finds substances (chlamydia antigens) that trigger the immune system to fight chlamydia infection.

* Direct fluorescent antibody test (DFA). This common, quick test also finds chlamydia antigens.

* Chlamydia culture. A culture is a special cup that allows the chlamydia bacteria to grow. This test is more expensive and the results take longer (5 to 7 days) than the other tests. The culture must be done in a lab. The chlamydia culture test may be done when child sexual abuse is suspected or when treatment for infection has not worked.

Hat Tip: WebMD

Talk about it some more here

Outbreak of Lymphogranuloma - rare strain of Chlamydia in US

The purpose of this post is to bring the public in the NEW ENGLAND area in the United States to AWARENESS of the emergence and possible outbreak of a sexually transmitted disease that is not normally found in the US.

I am a heterosexual female in my 20s and I am from a small town in New England. I have just been recently diagnosed with an STD that is not commonly known in the United States and is very rarely found in industrialized countries. This disease is know as lymphogranuloma venereum or LGV.

LGV is supposed to be relatively rare in the United States and most industrialized countries, and is more prevalent in Southeast Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. There has recently been increase in reported cases in Europe and Canada. It is also mostly homosexual men that have been reported to contract this disease.

So what I am trying to say is that right now I am a statistical anomaly, meaning that the chances of me getting this disease BECAUSE I AM A HETEROSEXUAL FEMALE AND I LIVE IN A SMALL NEW ENGLAND TOWN IN THE US are SUPPOSED to be slim to none. But NOT ANYMORE.

The person that gave this horrible disease to me is now spreading this around a particular state that I live in (held confidential) and those people he has slept with are now possibly having unprotected sex with other people who are sleeping with more people, who are sleeping with more people.

FIFTY PERCENT of those who contract this disease are ASYMPTOMATIC. But I was anything but asymptomatic. And I am warning and informing everyone who lives in this area in the United States of the dangers.

I would now like to reveal the nightmare that I went through. I almost died from this disease because the doctors and I’m sure the person carrying it had never even heard of it. I was hospitalized four times, misdiagnosed 6 times, put on 5 different courses of antibiotics that failed miserably.

This went on for four months and the pain was so bad I could not move for days, and I lost an alarming amount of weight. I developed another severe medical condition as a result of this, which I am reluctant to disclose, Pelvic inflammatory disease, AND REITER syndrome, which is active arthritis in my hips, knees and ankles.

It was the WORST pain I have ever felt in my whole life. It felt like my whole body was on FIRE. Initially, the symptoms were vaginal and there was a pinching and burning sensation in my pelvic area. The pain was primarily on my RIGHT SIDE. THIS DISEASE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO ATTACK AND CAUSE SYMPTOMS TO PRESENT IN ONE SIDE OF THE BODY. Then the inflammation spread to other organs, and my lymph system, and finally, at the very height of my symptoms, I felt burning and shooting pains up and down the inside of my arms, down my legs, up and down my chest and my spine, burning and throbbing pain in the back of my head, and the most horrible nightmarish pinching burning stabbing pain in my abdomen and lower back.

It was even more painful to pass stool or urine. I was finally diagnosed, through a SPECIFIC BLOOD TEST and am on antibiotics for treatment and am on my way to recovery. I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT THIS STRAIN OF CHLAMYDIA IS EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE AND WILL VARY RARELY SHOW UP IN A CULTURE AND NORMAL SCREENING FOR CHLAMYDIA. THE ONLY WAY TO DIAGNOSE THIS DISEASE IS THROUGH A SPECIFIC BLOOD TEST ORDERED BY YOUR DOCTOR.

If you live in the New England area and if you have any of these symptoms and you have been struggling to find answers, tell your gyno about this disease and when they tell you that it’s too rare for you to get, THEY ARE WRONG…..because that’s what they told me and…..I GOT IT! and other people WILL get it.

IT HAS HIT THE UNITED STATES HARD THIS TIME AND I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IT IS NOW SPREADING RAPIDLY. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE TO CONTRACT THIS DISEASE THROUGH ORAL SEX.

Here is some more information on Lymphogranuloma.

LGV is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or infection involving the lymph glands in the genital area. It is caused by a specific strain of chlamydia known as chlamydia trachomatis. The incidence is highest among sexually active people living in tropical or subtropical climates. It has also occurred in some areas of the southern United States.

The first symptom may be a small, painless pimple or lesion occurring on the penis or vagina. It is often unnoticed. The infection then spreads to the lymph nodes in the groin area and from there to the surrounding tissue. Complications may include inflamed and swollen lymph glands which may drain and bleed-the draining and bleeding happens in only 30% of cases. The onset of symptoms varies widely. The initial lesion may appear from three to 30 days after exposure.

If left untreated, it can cause serious tissue damage, scarring, rectal or intestinal blockages, and extreme swelling of the genitals (elephantiasis). In severe cases, it attacks the central nervous system (brain swelling).
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS WEAR A CONDOM-MAKE YOUR PARTNER WEAR A CONDOM-DO NOT HAVE UNPROTECTED ORAL SEX!!!!GET TESTED!!!

Here’s the original posting about this STD

If you have this OR you are a healthcare professional that can shed some light for those that are participating in that exact thread I would appreciate it if you would chime in.