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

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.”

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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