The capital of Delaware abounds with a distinguished atmosphere and features historical sights like the John Dickinson House. Dover is one of a few counties that come together to comprise the Delaware Valley, a statistical area including a variety of counties in four different states (Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland). Dover itself is the Kent County seat and accounts for 11% of all new HIV infections in 2014, and the state of Delaware continues to see a rise of HIV across the state.1
Lowering the rate of infection can start with getting tested and linking those with positive results to care. If you’re worried about waiting weeks to fit in an appointment at your primary care physician’s office or you’re looking to avoid the busy, crowded waiting rooms at a free clinic, STDtest.com offers a new option that provides the same FDA-approved tests for sexually transmitted diseases, and additionally works to be fast, convenient, affordable and discreet. Read on to learn more.
Dover is home to a renowned national air base as well as 18% of the state’s population.1 In small communities like this one peppered along the East Coast, it can feel intimidating, embarrassing or even shameful to get tested for STDs, but the benefits can often outweigh the worry. According to the CDC, all sexually transmitted diseases can be treated and many can be cured. If left untested and untreated, these infections can cause more severe problems, like infertility in women.2&3 STDtest.com is here to help anyone at risk sidestep the shame and take a proactive approach to their sexual health. A dedicated team of Care Advisors is available 7 days a week from 6 AM to 10 PM CT to answer any questions you have and help guide you each step of the way.
With chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in addition to HIV infections all on the rise in Dover, Kent County and across Delaware, getting tested is both a matter of improving personal and communal health. STDtest.com requires no appointment and offers discreet email and billing communication to keep your matters as private as possible. You’ll never see the name of our service in your inbox or on a billing statement, for example. However, while the privacy of our patients is our top priority, this is not an anonymous service and should not be treated as such.
In 2014, a chlamydia rate of 480 cases per 100,000 was reported in the Kent County area. Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STD in Dover, Kent County and across the state of Delaware.1 Across the United States, nearly 1.4 million cases are reported each year, making it one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the country. While not as prevalent as human papillomavirus (HPV), it does have the distinction as the highest-reported sexually transmitted infection in the country.4 Gonorrhea saw a slightly lower rate of infection in Kent County, with 239/100,000.
Primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis typically affects a much smaller statistical population than chlamydia and gonorrhea. Left untreated, however, the medical complications of syphilis can prove severe, such as neurosyphilis, ocular syphilis and congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis is a condition that causes significant fetal distress and even death. Regarding the rate of HIV, the cases in Dover and the rest of Delaware continue to decline, lowering from 140 to 116 between 2012 and 2013 statewide. In Kent County, an infection rate of 8/100,000 was reported in 2014. 1&4 Getting screened and treated for these STDs and various others, like HIV, herpes, trichomoniasis, hepatitis B and C, and more. STDtest.com provides a simple, discreet and cost-effective solution that takes the stress out of STD testing.
Health and sexual education curriculum in Dover and mandated across the state of Delaware focuses expressly on the effort of reducing teenage pregnancy and the spread of communicable infection between young people. In school, lesson topics range from contraceptives and STD prevention, the risks and realities of HIV/AIDS, an emphasis on knowledge-based decisions for safe sexual health and more. The aims of the Delaware Adolescent Sexual Health State Plan is to increase funding that will allow communities with previously limited access to take better advantage of educational and community services available. The best possible outcome is raising a generation of children who have the facts about STDs and unintended pregnancy and are equipped with the information of how to stop their spread and where to reach out should any of these events occur.5
This approach to sexual education also incorporates the social and emotional aspects of this expansive subject. Equipping young individuals with the skills to recognize and develop healthy relationships, knowing how to avoid and report abusive relationships as well as contributing to the development of strong self-esteem rounds out the comprehensive approach to sexual education. By fostering confidence in what constitutes a healthy risk versus an unhealthy one, it is the understanding that a more well-informed teen will choose a less consequential path.5
Between the state capital and the air base in Kent County, the Dover area accounts for a slightly more diverse population, compared to Delaware’s two other counties, New Castle and Sussex. Kent and Sussex are less populated than New Castle, and see a smaller percentage of sexually transmitted diseases across the state annually. For example, one of most high risk demographic groups in Delaware and across the country for HIV infection are men who have sex with men (MSM). Of all total reported HIV infections in Delaware, MSM accounted for 66% of diagnoses in New Castle County compared to 11% in Kent. Across the state, African American males accounted for the highest number of MSM-related infection, reporting upwards of 53% in 2013. Concurrently, the number of MSM cases reported by Caucasians dropped from 59% in the late 80’s and 90’s to around 38% in 2013.1
In Kent County, the number heterosexual men are report higher numbers of HIV infection than men who have sex with men, with 38% of diagnoses compared to 32% respectively. This isn’t a typical trend, seeing that the MSM group usually reports the most significant number in a given statistical area. Case in point, the MSM population reported the highest number of HIV cases in nearby Sussex County with 51%.1 Reaching out to communities at risk and encouraging STD testing and linked to treatment is an essential goal of lowering and eventually eliminating the disease, according to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.6
Spend more of your free time in on what you enjoy, like a day at the Dover International Speedway, rather than waiting and worrying about STD testing. STDtest.com offers a fast, convenient, discreet and cost-effective service and getting started is simple. Online or by phone, answer a short medical questionnaire to receive a doctor recommended panel of tests customized your symptoms and sexual history. Next, you’ll select a testing option. You can choose a lab most convenient for you from a national network of thousands for a brief visit (usually a half hour or less) to collect your test samples, no appointment needed. If available in your area, you can get tested at home, work or another convenient location with In-Home Collection.
For both options, results will usually be available within three business days or less. The medical team is available to answer any follow up questions, discuss your diagnosis and even to prescribe treatment, if medically appropriate and if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.