April Is STD Awareness Month

April is National Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Awareness Month, an observance created to increase awareness about STDs, including their transmission, prevention and treatment. STDs continue to be a major health threat in the United States, especially among adolescents and young adults. One in four young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States, or 3.2 million teenage girls, are infected with at least one of the most common STDs: human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes or trichomoniasis. If undetected and left untreated, STDs can lead to potentially severe health consequences, including ectopic pregnancy or infertility in females. These severe health consequences underscore the importance of annual chlamydia screening and vaccination for HPV as part of a comprehensive approach to sexual health in young women.

In North Dakota, preliminary data indicate 1,921 cases of chlamydia and 118 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the NDDoH in 2009. Of these totals, 72 percent of chlamydia cases and 66 percent of gonorrhea cases occurred among people ages 15 to 24.

The NDDoH, partnering with MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is supporting the GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign to inform young people about STDs, encourage and normalize testing for STDs, and connect young people to testing centers.  Visit CDC’s updated www.cdcnpin.org/stdawareness for tools, resources and information that can help support your STD Awareness Month activities. Website highlights include:

•        STD & HIV testing locator widgets: Give visitors to your website instant access to a list of their nearest HIV and STD testing locations. When a ZIP code is entered, it will return the nearest testing locations from the extensive database available at www.findSTDtest.org, a national online tool for locating local STD and HIV testing centers by ZIP code.

•        Media relations kit: Disseminate news and information about STD Awareness Month activities to the media to reach your target audiences. Access tips on working with the media and promoting your event on the web, as well as a sample press release and media advisory.

•        The Facts brochures:  Order free STD brochures for your clinics and health centers. 

•       GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign information and evaluation tools: Keep returning to the site for the latest GYT campaign information and tools for evaluating GYT in your clinic or area. 

Contact the NDDoH STD Program for more information about GYT campaign materials. Additional information about STDs and North Dakota STD statistics can be found at www.ndhealth.gov/STD/default.htm. 

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