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HIV and Syphilis cases on rise in Milwaukee, with patients connected in a cluster or social network

If this isn’t a wake-up call for the city of Milwaukee and parents throughout the area, We don’t know what will be.If you think STDs STI’s and HIV are all fun and games? then you might need to visit Milwaukee Wisconsin

A shocking spike in HIV and Syphilis cases, with patients all connected in a cluster or social network. A new development in a continuing epidemic that has Milwaukee among the worst in the nation for sexually transmitted diseases.

  • Milwaukee is the number one city in the nation for gonorrhea.
  • It’s the number four city in the nation for chlamydia
  • 37 % percent of the HIV cases are for individuals 15 to 24 years of age
  • 57 % of the syphilis cases off all individuals 20 to 29 years of age.

The city leader in a statement says. “clearly our response to sexually transmitted infections and HIV has not been nearly enough in the city of Milwaukee.

Now city leaders and health organizations are striking back to tackle the crisis. Kofi short sees the impact every day, works with a group providing HIV counseling and testing, primarily for gay, black men.

He states that people who are concerned about their sexual health but are also deeply frightened. He also stated, “Some of our most vulnerable communities are the communities that are affected by this” That includes a growing number of young people caught up in sex trafficking.

Dr. Wendi Ehrmen of Children’s Hospital & Medical college we need to look for them and screen them. Sexually exploited youth are at particular risk.

In a tweet, the health department confirms there has been an increase in new cases of HIV and syphilis including infants in 2017. This is something Elizabeth Tatum a Milwaukee mother says she finds troubling and she helps the city does more to create awareness about the seriousness of STD. Sex is a serious thing and if you’re gonna do something as serious you definitely need to protect yourself.

The recent HIV and syphilis spike in the city has exposed another concern, that the people being impacted are younger than ever before.
It’s even reached into local schools. And now those on the front line want parents to get the message.

Tony Snell of Milwaukee LGBT Community Center quoted “there are parents out there who will only begin to understand it when it happens to their child, and it may be too late”

What’s the solution?

The health department and more than one dozen local groups were coordinating for outreach programs, hotlines and information efforts focused on prevention and testing of STD in Milwaukee

What’s actually required is to spread the message and awareness among the citizens. Some commendable efforts were taken by Milwaukee County Transit bus service.

In just a few days you may start to hear this public service announcement while riding on a Milwaukee County Transit bus if someone is on a bus and they hear this message we’d like to hope that if it resonates with them they take that next step it’s a new commuter ad campaign the Milwaukee Health Department launched in partnership with MCTS to raise awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and Brendon Conway with the transit system anticipates the ad reaching thousands of commuters this was a big this was a big push.