California’s STD Rates are on the Rise

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a report which indicated that there was a 45% increase in cases of some types of STDs for the past 5 years. The department was able to count over 300,000 cases of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Serious complications, the most severe ones being in women have been reported as a result of the rise in STD rates. Among the reported complications in women are still births or reduction in Women fertility attributed to syphilis.

Effects of the STDs

Leaving chlamydia and gonorrhea untreated potentially triggers infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease. It may also increase the risk of a woman to ectopic pregnancy.

Syphilis specifically hinders the brain development in addition to other effects such as deafness, blindness and even death.

People aged 30 years and below are the ones who typically carry STDs. Chlamydia is highest in women while men commonly carry gonorrhea and syphilis.

The CDPH data further indicates that since 1995, the high rates of still births could be directly associated with congenital syphilis.

High STD Rates and Budget Cuts

The war on sexually transmitted diseases is further impeded by regular government policies to reduce funding. The CDC has already proven that the country as a whole grappling with dramatic STD rates. In 2016 alone, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis hit a record-high 2 million cases. The United States syphilis increase rate from 2015 to 2016 was 18%, with 600 cases reported on congenital syphilis.

Congenital syphilis entails the transfer of syphilis from the mother to child in utero.

When compared to other developed countries, these figures are extremely high.

A World Health Organization report indicated that nations such as Serbia, Belarus and Armenia have successfully (or are just an inch from) eliminated congenital syphilis.

The medical community has from the 1900 learnt various ways to treat syphilis using medication. As such, these recent increases continue to present us with serious questions that we all have to put our minds together and combat.

The government’s constant withdrawal of significant funding, according to Dr. William Schaffner, could mean that pregnant women are not receiving all the information that they are supposed to get.

Schaffner is a member of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He notes that public health budgets continue to be slashed despite the knowledge of existing challenges. When these amounts are lowered, it becomes hard for public health to execute all-encompassing activities like it used to do.

Also, as the rates of syphilis rise, it is an indicator that people are not receiving routine care. The pregnant women are not getting the much required prenatal care which is needed for healthy pregnancy.

“It is impractical for an obstetrician or family doctor to give prenatal care and fail to test for syphilis,” notes Schaffner.

 

Contributor: admin