IHS highlights new data during STD Awareness Month

by Andria Apostolou, PhD, MPH, IHS National STD Program Lead, Division of Epidemiology and Disease Prevention, IHS

April is recognized as Sexually Transmitted Disease Awareness Month and
brings attention to the nearly 20 million new STD cases that occur in the
United States each year.

While STDs affect all racial and ethnic groups, American Indian and Alaska
Native populations bear a disproportionate burden. The IHS National STD Program
and the IHS Division of Epidemiology and Disease Prevention within the
Office of Public Health Support recently released the
Indian Health Surveillance Report — Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2015
. The report presents statistics and trends for STDs among American Indians
and Alaska Natives in collaboration with the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
.

This surveillance report, summarizing 2011–2015 national and IHS Area-level
data and trends for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary
syphilis, serves as a valued resource for those working in Indian Country
and others concerned with the public health implications of STDs for
American Indians and Alaska Native populations.

The report shows the continuing trend of a nationwide increase in STDs and
highlights national-level disparities indicating that American Indians and
Alaska Natives had the second highest rates for chlamydia and gonorrhea and
the fourth highest rates for syphilis among all racial and ethnic groups in

2015. Regional differences for each of the conditions were observed, with
      gonorrhea rates increasing nationally among American Indians and Alaska
      Natives. The report also highlights the higher STD burden among American
      Indians and Alaska Native youth and among American Indians and Alaska
      Native women, particularly women of reproductive age (15-44 years of age).

People who have an STD may be at an
increased risk of getting HIV
. The president’s recently announced initiative,
Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America
, reinforces the imperative to work in partnership with various
stakeholders to address screening of individuals at risk of HIV, to improve
access to treatment for those with HIV, and to also strive for early
recognition of risk factors for acquiring HIV, such as previous or
recurrent STDs, to guide HIV prevention efforts.

The IHS National STD Program
is committed to raising awareness of STDs as a high-priority health issue
among American Indians and Alaska Natives and to supporting partnerships,
collaborations, policies, and education that help reduce the impact of STDs
in Indian Country. By visiting the
IHS National STD program website
, you can find an STD testing site near you. When you visit your healthcare
provider, you should discuss sex as it relates to your health. Your
provider calls this “taking a sexual history” and it helps them to
understand what STD tests you may need. You can ask them questions, too!
For example, you may want to know how to protect yourself from getting an
STD, which STD tests you will be getting, or how often to get tested.

Related content:

STD Program

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America

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