Enjoy more of what Gilbert has to offer, like catching a show at the Hale Center Theater, instead of feeling the weight of your unknown STD status. Getting tested can feel scary, embarrassing or even shameful, but it doesn’t need to be. With STDtest.com, a dedicated team of Care Advisors is available 7 days a week from 6 am to 10 pm to answer any questions you have and to guide you each step of the way. Once you receive your test results, our medical team is available for follow up consults as well, no matter what your test result. STD testing should be a discreet and private process, but you should never have to feel alone. In Gilbert and Maricopa County, don’t let fear stand in the way of getting the tests you need for the right diagnosis.

According to the CDC, all STDs can be treated and many can be cured, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. Other sexually transmitted infections that currently have no cure, like HIV/AIDS, certain strains of viral hepatitis, and genital herpes, can be managed with medicine to both lower the rate of transmission and to increase the overall quality of life. The only way to start the appropriate medical regimen is to get tested and receive a definitive diagnosis. Those diagnosed and linked to antiretroviral therapy have a far higher chance of achieving viral load suppression.^4-6 Get started to get the answers you need, so you can stress less.

STD Test Statistics in Gilbert, AZ

From 2013 to 2014, major cities and towns all across the state of Arizona saw significant increases of syphilis, and Gilbert and Maricopa county were no exception, according to reports released by the Arizona Department of Health Services. In this year-over-year period, the number of syphilis cases reported increased by 47.9%, with 213 infections reported in 2013 compared to 409 in 2014. From 2011 to 2014, the total number of syphilis cases increased by 51.3%. Another common sexually transmitted that saw a notable year-over-year increase in this metropolitan statistical area was gonorrhea, with 5,514 new infections reported in 2014 compared to 4,724 in 2013, constituting a 14.3% increase.²

The most sexually transmitted infection with the highest reported numbers in Gilbert, Maricopa County and all across the state of Arizona is chlamydia, with 19,788 new infections reported as of 2014. This number shows a 3.2% increase from the year before, which saw 19,152 new reported infections. In addition to being the most reported STD in Arizona, with 1.4 million cases reported annually across the U.S., chlamydia is the most reported STD in the country. In Maricopa County, the average rate of new HIV infections reported from 2009 to 2013 was 11.5 new cases per 100,000 residents.^7&8 Getting tested and getting treated, if medically appropriate, is an important step to take for lowering the STD trends on the rise in Gilbert and Maricopa County, Arizona.

STD Testing and Sexual Education in Gilbert, AZ

Pending legislation in the state of Arizona is working to give more structure to the sexual education programming offered to all public school students across the state, however, no sexual education courses are currently mandated by law. Conversely, schools are required to provide HIV/AIDS education. What is the difference? While HIV/AIDS education is an important part of sexual education, it doesn’t represent the whole picture, and the aim of the curriculum supported in Arizona looks to talk to myths about the disease and how abstinence plays a preventive role in its transmission. It does not aim to discuss additional methods of prevention, and does not permit school districts to portray homosexuality as a “positive alternative lifestyle,” a mixed message, considering that in this county and all across the country, the group at the highest risk for HIV infection are men who have sex with men (MSM).^9&10

Comprehensive sexual education, or sexual education that provides a multi-faceted approach to topics on human sexuality including abstinence, contraception methods and other ways to prevent STDs, HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy, is a more effective approach when it comes to teaching young people about how to avoid risky decisions when it comes to their sexual health.¹¹ Young people ages 15-24 report nearly 10 million of the approximately 20 million sexually transmitted diseases reported annually, even though they represent only 27% of the sexually active population. Educating young people on how they can best avoid these infections, as well as providing them the tools and the knowledge with next steps to take when they find their sexual health compromised are helpful ways to stop the spread of STIs in this vulnerable population.¹²

STD Testing and Demographics in Gilbert

Maricopa and Pima County account for 64.4% of the 39,919 sexually transmitted diseases reported in 2014 to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Maricopa County ranked 7th in the nation for the the rate of gonorrhea, and it affects males more than females in this particular population. The racial/ethnic group with the highest likelihood of reporting the highest number of gonorrhea infections were the African American and American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) populations, with the highest rates (389.5/100,000 and 228.9/100,000, respectively). The racial/ethnic group with the highest reported number of gonorrhea infections was the Hispanic population.²

Similarly to gonorrhea, Maricopa and Pima Counties reported the highest numbers of syphilis in the state of Arizona. In addition, the number of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis cases nearly doubled in the state according to year-over-year increases reported from 2013-2014 (a 196% statewide increase). In the state of Arizona, men are nearly 10 times more likely than women to contract and report cases of primary and secondary syphilis. In Arizona in 2014, men reported 523 cases of P&S syphilis compared to women, who reported 49 cases.² Syphilis on the rise can be dangerous for the citizens of Gilbert and the greater Maricopa County area. Left untreated, this sexually transmitted infection can lead to more severe medical consequences, including ocular syphilis (syphilis bacteria in the eye), neurosyphilis (syphilis bacteria in the brain) or congenital syphilis a very serious infection passed from mother to child that can have fatal consequences for the child.¹³

Your Best Gilbert STD Testing Option

Spend less time worrying about your unknown STD status so you can enjoy life in Gilbert to the fullest, for example, spending a leisurely day with family and friends at the Riparian Reserve at Water Ranch. Getting started with STDtest.com is simple. Start by answering a few brief questions to receive a personal test recommendation from our doctors, customized to your personal history and symptoms. Next, you’ll choose a testing option. You can select the lab most convenient for you from a national network of thousands for a brief visit (usually 30 minutes or less) to collect your test samples. If available in your area, you can choose for the lab to come to you with In-Home Collection.

With both options, results are usually available in three business days or less. Our medical team is available for follow up to discuss your diagnosis, answer any remaining questions and even to prescribe treatment, if appropriate and if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.

References:

1 U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts – Gilbert and Maricopa County, AZ
2 Arizona Department of Health Services Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2014 Report
3 The Lowdown on How to Prevent STDs
4 CDC – HIV/AIDS Treatment
5 CDC – Viral Hepatitis 2015 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines
6 Genital Herpes Treatment and Care
7 CDC – Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2014
8 Arizona Health Matters – HIV/AIDS Incidence Rate (Cases/100,000 population)
9 SB1020 sex education programs; requirements Bill Overview
10 Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 15.716 – HIV Education Guidelines
11 SIECUS What the Research Says…Comprehensive Sex Education
12 Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Young Americans
13 CDC – Syphilis Fact Sheet