Report: Progress Made in STDs but More Work Needs to be Done
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November 18, 2009
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The rates of infection for sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) have dropped in Missouri, but the numbers remain high, according to a new report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Paula Gianino, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, says more must be done to educate young people about how easily these types of infections can be prevented and treated, although current state law contains some barriers to getting treatment.
For example, she says, most states allow doctors to prescribe medicine to the partner of a person with a sexually- transmitted infection, even without counseling the partner, face to face.
"If we could do that in Missouri, most of us in the health care community believe that we could begin to significantly lower our STD rates in the state."
Without being tested, someone may never know they have a sexually transmitted infection, because in many cases there are no symptoms, Gianino explains. It's only later that medical complications, such as chronic pelvic pain and infertility, can be traced to untreated infections. And in some cases, certain untreated STDs -- like syphilis -- can be fatal.
As with previous CDC reports, Gianino adds, the new one shows women suffer the highest rates of infection.
"This is a wakeup call to women to get informed and stay informed, and to make the kinds of appropriate decisions in their own sexual health."
She says Planned Parenthood provided more than 6,000 free STD tests last April. The success of that program has prompted the group to offer the same service again in April 2010, says Gianino, to get the word out to young people that being tested is easy and painless -- and could save a life.
The CDC report is online at www.cdc.gov/std/stats08/toc.htm.