Rates of sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise across the country our correspondent Matt Malloy takes a closer look at the numbers here in Monroe county. Startling numbers from the Centers for Disease Control show, gonorrhea syphilis and chlamydia are on the rise. But locally the results are more mixed.
Dr. Michael Mendoza says, they are continuing to work as hard as we can to prevent and and to treat. Monroe County sees about 7,000 infections a year. Comparing 2013 to 2017 like the CDC did shows gonorrhea is down 11% chlamydia is up 9% and syphilis is the most concerning with 191%. In 2013 there were 34 cases last year 99 cases an increase of nearly 200%. that increase though is due in part to more women being tested concerned about their reproductive health.
One of the most important ones for women is that it may make it more difficult to become pregnant down the road for untreated gonorrhea, untreated chlamydia. That’s a major risk. at Trillium Health in Rochester, they’ve seen a dramatic increase in demand for testing. John Matt from the Trilluim Heath center quotes, “What we try to convey to people is there is no good or bad result when you’re getting tested for an STI“. Going in and getting tested every three to six months it’s just something that should be routine like going to the dentist going to the doctor just making sure that you’re okay.
Rochester Regional Health has also teamed up with city schools to offer testing at Edison tech they offered a school-wide STD screening. Tracy Wright a regional health practitioner says, “It was really good we had about half of the students decide to give a lab sample and about a half that opted out because participation was voluntary”. Wwright says they hope more students will participate in another clinic this fall in Rochester.
