Fort Wayne offers a solid sampling of what’s best in the Midwest. Fort Wayne and the greater Allen County area opens the doors to family-friendly living with plenty to see and do, like the historical Allen County courthouse and the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. Indiana’s second largest city also currently sees rising numbers of sexually transmitted disease, namely the number of new diagnoses of HIV. Getting tested and treated for these infections is an important way to better the health of the Fort Wayne and and Allen County. There are different options for STD testing, including visiting your primary care physician and free clinics. Scheduling an appointment at the doctor’s office can sometimes take weeks in advance and free clinic waiting rooms can be crowded and congested. STDtest.com offers a fast, convenient and affordable alternative with no appointment needed. That mean walk-in testing that takes half an hour or less, with the same FDA-approved screening used by the doctor and free resources in the area. Read on to learn more.
What are the barriers keeping you and those you love from getting tested for STDs? Anyone at risk should get tested yearly, periodically or as soon as possible, depending on the individual circumstances. Anyone who has recently had unprotected sex or thinks they may have been exposed to an STI should get tested as soon as possible. For any questions about the optimal testing date or window, a dedicated team of Care Advisors is available to answer your inquiries 7 days a week from 6 AM to 10 PM CST. For those who have never been tested, getting tested yearly or periodically is important to taking control of your personal sexual health. If you’re embarking on a new relationship and neither partner has been tested, this is an ideal opportunity to determine your STD status. Certain risk groups, like sexually active women under the age of 25 for chlamydia, are particularly susceptible and should get tested each year.3
In Fort Wayne and Allen County, certain sexually transmitted diseases are starting to see numbers on the decline, like chlamydia, gonorrhea and primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis.5-8 An important factor in encouraging lowering trends on a continued to decline is getting tested and getting linked to care, if appropriate. According to the CDC, all STDs can be treated and many can be cured.4 Not only is it an effective way to slow down the spread of sexually transmitted disease in the Fort Wayne area, it’s powerful way to take control of your sexual health.
One sexually transmitted disease that has seen a year-over-year increase in Fort Wayne and Allen County is HIV. In 2014, 23 new cases of the infection were reported in the county, compared to 19 in 2013 and 26 the year prior. The only county with higher reported numbers of HIV in Indiana is Marion County, home to Indianapolis. Comparatively, many other counties in the state report 5 or less new infections on average, to illustrate a clearer picture of HIV infections across the state of Indiana. 1&2
Conversely, rates of chlamydia in Fort Wayne continue to decline, from a rate of 510.5 per 100,000 reported in 2014, down from 543.4 in 2013 and 571.3 in 2012. The rate of gonorrhea infection saw a similar trend, reporting 150.1/100,000 in 2014 compared to 171.4/100,000 in 2013. The rate of infection of primary and secondary syphilis in Fort Wayne is decreasing to near eradication in the area, with a 2014 rate of 1.1/100,000.5-8 Again, these declining rates are promising, but only continued efforts of STD prevention, in addition to getting tested and treated when appropriate will help to securely assure their decrease in the Fort Wayne and Allen County area.
Sexual education in Fort Wayne, Allen County and across the state of Indiana requires a comprehensive approach that is age-appropriate and medically accurate. According to the most recent legislation passed on this matter, the state of Indiana is mandating a partnership between the Indiana Departments of Education and Health to work together on administering exemplary health and sex education curriculum. This partnership will help to ensure the up-to-date medical accuracy of the curriculum. Working together, these two parties are responsible for delivering a detailed outline for improved sexual education curriculum to the state legislature by November 2016.9
This proactive and collaborative effort, based on researching and presenting curriculum based on medical accuracy and the needs not already being addressed is a helpful approach to imparting the young people of Indiana with the information they need to make well informed decisions about their sexual health. Young people ages 15-24 are one of the largest groups in the country impacted by the spread of sexually transmitted disease, accounting for nearly half of the 10 million sexually transmitted infections reported annually across the United States.10 Knowing what the risk factors are and when to get tested only helps to improve the state of sexually transmitted diseases affecting young adults.
According to reports released by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Health Department, the demographic distribution of sexually transmitted disease in the area has a heavy impact on certain groups in the area, including young people and certain minorities. To illustrate, women reported a much higher number of chlamydia infections compared to men in 2015, 67.5% of all new chlamydia infections in the area in 2015. Gonorrhea saw less of a gender disparity with 42.8% of infections reported by men and 57.1% reported by women. The gender most impacted by the spread of primary and secondary syphilis in the Fort Wayne area in 2015 proved to be men, with 12 out of 17 total infections.11
The racial/ethnic group most impacted by the spread of chlamydia in Fort Wayne, Indiana is the African American population, with 45.2% of all 2015 infections, followed by Caucasians with 41.5%. Gonorrhea statistics show that African Americans reported the highest numbers of gonorrhea, with 443 infections that year. Primary and syphilis infections make the most impact on African Americans.11 Getting tested and treated helps to slow down the spread of disease in these populations that are at high risk. Reaching out to underserved communities and populations to aid in connection to testing and care is a central aim of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.12
Spend time on what matters most to you in Fort Wayne, like an outdoor concert with family and friends at Foellinger Theatre, rather than feeling stressed and worried about getting tested for sexually transmitted disease? STD testing should be fast, discreet and affordable. With STDtest.com, you’ll experience an exemplary healthcare service that works around your schedule. To get started, answer a brief medical questionnaire online or by phone to receive your doctor-recommended panel of tests. Following this, you’ll choose a lab from a national network of thousands for a short visit (usually 30 minutes or less) to collect your test samples. After your samples are collected at the CLIA-certified lab facility, results are usually available in three business days or less. The medical team is available for any follow up questions you might have, to discuss your diagnosis, or even to prescribe follow up treatment, if medically appropriate or if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.