STDs On The Rise

By: Michen Dewey

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV, AIDS and HPV rarely make headlines anymore, but they’re still worth attention as the number of confirmed reports are rising at a hefty rate.

The number of Americans suffering from an STD is climbing, and the numbers have been rising for years, according to the most recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although STD and STI are terms used interchangeably, STD is used to refer to when a person shows obvious signs or symptoms, while the term STI has become more common as someone who tests STD-positive doesn’t always show symptoms, according to the American Sexual Health Association.

There were more than two million U.S. cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in 2016, which is the highest cumulative number on record — comprised of 1.6 million cases of chlamydia, 470,000 cases of gonorrhea and 28,000 of syphilis. More than half of those cases come from young people aged 15 to 24 years old, according to the CDC.

A chunk of those numbers come from Chicago, as it has the second largest number of recorded chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the nation, according to Jill Dispenza, the director of HIV/AIDS & STD Services at the Center on Halsted (3656 N. Halsted St.), a community center in the Lakeview neighborhood specifically focused on community and health of LGBTQ people of Chicago.

Dispenza, who’s worked at the Center on Halsted for 14 years, said Chicago is seeing the highest numbers of those three STDs since 1997.

In 2016, chlamydia, one of the most common STDs in the nation, commonly spread by unprotected sex, was seen at a rate of 1,104.6 per 100,000 population in Chicago, making it the most common communicable disease in Chicago, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Gonorrhea, also exceedingly prevalent and spread by unprotected sex, was seen at a rate of 402 per 100,000 population.

Primary and secondary syphilis — the difference being primary is recognized by sores called chancres, while secondary is accompanied by a rash or lesions — was seen at a rate of 30.2 per 100,000 population in Chicago in 2016, according to IDPH. Both primary and secondary syphilis can be spread by having sex or skin-to-skin contact with a chancre, and an infected mother can spread it to her children.

The Center on Halsted conducts only HIV and Hepatitis C virus testing, at no cost, but Dispenza said it puts a large emphasis on getting tested for STIs, especially since the State of Illinois AIDS/HIV & STD Hotline (800-243-2437), an anonymous hotline for questions and resources, is housed at the center. The center also offers a database of locations around Chicago that offer STD testing, including some with free testing.

In working to educate Chicagoans when they call the hotline or go to the center, which consists of primarily young people in their late teens to early thirties, according to Dispenza, the center offers a range of information to minimize the spread of STDs, STIs, HIV, AIDS and HPV.

“In the testing sessions or on the hotline, we help people think about the goals that they have for their sexual health,” Dispenza said. “We help them come up with a plan, whether that’s using condoms … or making sure they’re getting tested regularly and that their partners are getting tested.”

Getting tested frequently and having partners who are tested could be why reports are increasing in both female and male genders. With chlamydia specifically, women experience higher rates of diagnoses because they tend to be tested more often than men for the infection, according to the CDC. If chlamydia isn’t treated, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause some women to become infertile.

Syphilis has also increased for women, and can be easily spread to their children. In the United States, syphilis increased 36 percent for women and 28 percent for newborn babies since 2015. In the 600 cases of newborns inflicted, there were more than 40 deaths and severe health complications, according to the CDC.

However, STDs don’t necessarily affect women more than men. Although gonorrhea went up for both women and men in 2016, the most noticable increase was a 22 percent hike in the male population, specifically with those who identify as gay and bisexual. Along with the increase, there have been reports of some gonorrhea cases where the virus was immune to antibiotics, according to the CDC.

Sara Flanagan, a family nurse practitioner at Loyola's Wellness Center and doctoral student in the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, said she thinks gender and sexual inclusivity is significant. She said her doctoral project focuses on understanding sexual history in a way that is inclusive of diverse gender and sexual identities.

“One of the reasons that taking a sexual history is important is that it allows us to understand patient sexual practices and order STI testing that’s appropriate for that patient,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan said the center offers education on a number of topics and has a health promotion department that hosts programs on STI prevention and STI screening outreach on campus.

“In the clinic, we offer education to all patients on ways to reduce their risk of acquiring a STI,” Flanagan said. “Topics may include using a barrier, like a condom, correctly and consistently, vaccinations … getting tested regularly for STIs, talking to partners about sex and STI screening, lower risk sexual practices, PEP/PrEP and abstinence education.”

PEP/PrEP is pre-exposure prophylaxis, which can be taken to lower chances of getting infected for people who are at a high risk for HIV. PrEP can hinder the HIV virus from spreading throughout the body, while reducing the risk of getting HIV from having sex by more than 90 percent, according to the CDC.

Dispenza said a few things besides education could help stop the rise in STDS, such as making sure young people go to the doctor and get tested frequently, but also making sure doctors are welcoming patients, not shaming them for getting tested or for their races, ethnicities or gender identity. She said the most important factor is better communication between partners.

“People have sex, but they can’t sometimes seem to talk to each other about the sex that they had,” Dispenza said.

Some STDs don’t show symptoms, but a person can still carry the infection and spread it to other people, which is why Dispenza urges sexually active people and their partners to get tested.

“If you don’t know somebody’s status, use condoms out of respect for each other,” Dispenza said. “You can say to someone ‘Do you have any STDs?’ and they could say 'no,' but they can still have one without realizing it.”