Life in colorful Colorado is best spent exploring the outdoors, not waiting around for STD testing results. Just choose the tests that are right for you. Once your samples are collected at a local lab, results are usually available for you usually within 48 hours or less. It’s a simple solution for Aurora residents looking for both a convenient and cost-effective STD testing option.

In a growing community like Aurora in a sparsely populated state like Colorado, making all options available to residents is an important aspect of improving the sexual health of the area. For anyone not sure how to get started or you’re feeling embarrassed to get the conversation started, a dedicated, professional team is available to answer any and all questions you might have and are here to help guide you every step of the way. Let a potentially stressful situation become one of empowerment when you receive your STD test results. All STDs can be treated and many can be cured, so getting tested is always the best option when it comes to improving your health.³

STD Test Statistics in Aurora, CO

A troubling statistic affecting the residents of Aurora and the greater Arapahoe County area is the rise of a few commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases. Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STI across the United States, and its elevated prevalence in Aurora is no exception. From 2010 to 2014, the rate of chlamydia infection followed a pattern of continued rise from 2010-2012, with a dip in 2013, followed by another uptick in new infections in 2014. The most recent data reports 3,473 new chlamydia cases, with a 561.2/100,000 rate of infection. The continued rise of gonorrhea in Aurora in Colorado is indicated by a total of 453 infections reported to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment in 2014, compared to 383 in 2013.  The incidence of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis increased from 18 diagnoses in 2013 to 29 in 2014. In fact, all cases of syphilis in Arapahoe County were recognized as on the rise as of the latest county reporting.²

As the population of Aurora and Arapahoe County continues to rise, the rate of new HIV infections continues to climb. From 2013 to 2014, this rate rose from 8.7 cases per 100,000 residents to 9.9/100,000. Getting tested for STDs like HIV is a deterrent for rising numbers and is an essential method for improving the overall sexual health of this mid-sized metropolis just outside of Denver, Colorado.

STD Testing and Sexual Education in Aurora, CO

In recent years, legislation in Colorado has evolved to include more progressive, more comprehensive lessons on sexual education. In 2013, grant funding from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment helped to establish curriculum statewide focusing on sexual education that’s age-appropriate, medically accurate and evidenced-based for students of all ages in the public school system. A basis for this sexual education curriculum stems from a report furnished by the CDPHE called “Youth Sexual Health in Colorado: A Call to Action”. Based on data collected from surveys of young adults all across the country, this report determined what gaps there were in the existing sexual education curriculum and set about correcting them with improved instruction in schools and an increase of resources in local communities. This effort has worked to lower the unintended pregnancy rate and transmission of sexual disease between adolescents in Colorado.^4&5

Students learn a variety lessons including HIV/AIDS and STD information and how to prevent them, methods of contraception, and are imparted with the skills to develop healthy relationships, how to avoid dangerous relationships and recognizing unsafe dating behavior, as well as self-esteem development to further bolster confidence in their decision making skills. This open discussion around the realistic causes and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases is key for young people, as it helps them to take full control of their better sexual health. Knowing when to get tested and the real risks, treatments and possibility for a cure associated with these diseases helps to relieve the stigma surrounding this topic.

STD Testing and Demographics in Aurora

In Aurora, Arapahoe County and across Colorado, adolescents and young adults continue to report sexually transmitted diseases in numbers disproportionate to their population size. For example, of all the chlamydia infections reported in 2014, 65.7% were attributed to the 15-24 age group. The most common age group to report gonorrhea infections in 2014 were age 20-29, with 51% of total infections in the county. This was also the most common age group impacted by P&S syphilis cases, with 51.7% of all 29 diagnoses in the Aurora and Arapahoe County area. The age group affected most by HIV infections are 30-34 year olds, according to reports from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.²

The racial/ethnic groups impacted by the spread of sexually transmitted disease tends to vary by infection. Regarding chlamydia, the Caucasian population reported 17% of new infections, compared to 15.5% reported by the African American population. Gonorrhea infections reportedly infect white and African American populations in the area almost equally, with 27.8% and 27.2% of cases respectively. Syphilis cases impact the Caucasian demographic group most significantly, with 42% of all reported infections attributed to this group. HIV impacts the Caucasian and African American populations identically in the area, with each group reporting 32.8% of all new HIV infections.² Getting tested and treated for common STDs is one of the easiest ways to help bolster personal and community health in the region, it it can be fast, confidential and affordable.

Your Best Aurora STD Testing Option

Getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases can feel stressful and overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. STDtest.com offers a service that always puts the patient first, from start to finish. It’s simple, discreet and affordable. Getting started is simple. Choose your testing options. Then you can make a brief visit (usually 15 minutes or less) to the lab location nearest you for test sample collection, no appointment needed.

For both options, you’ll then be able to access your results in usually 24 to 48 hours. The medical team will be available to discuss your follow up questions and even to prescribe follow up treatment, if medically appropriate and if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.

References:

1 US Census Bureau Quick Facts – Aurora and Arapahoe County, CO
2 Five-Year Trend Table for Chlamydia (2010-2014) Arapahoe County, Colorado CDPHE STI/HIV Surveillance Program
3 CDC – The Lowdown on How to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases
4 Colorado Revised Statutes 2013 Title 22 Education – outlines that it should be medically accurate and comprehensive
5 Youth Sexual Health in Colorado: A Call to Action