Greensboro, along with the neighboring Winston-Salem, is a traditional southern city filled with historical landmarks dating back to the first days of America as we know it. If you want to step back in time, all you need to do is visit the Blandwood Mansion and Gardens. Greensboro and the greater Guilford County area is home to over 500,000 residents,1 as well as a rise in certain commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases, like primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis, according to recent reports released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.2
Getting tested and treated is an important element of improving the overall health of the community. Scheduling an appointment at your primary care doctor’s office can mean waiting weeks before you get in, and the waiting room at a free clinic can feel overwhelming and crowded. Skip the waiting room and find a better STD testing option with STDtest.com. Read on to learn more.
Stress less about your sexual health status by getting tested, and make way for more day-to-day fun in Greensboro, like a trip to Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe or the celebrated Greensboro Science Center. If your test results are negative? Having that knowledge is better than staying in the dark. If your test results are positive, there are a variety of treatment options available and in the case of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis, the right medicine regimen leads to a cure. Those STDS that do not have a cure, like HIV/AIDS, certain strains of viral hepatitis and genital herpes, can be treated with medicine that greatly reduces the risk of transmission and in the case of HIV, antiretroviral therapy (ART) can help to reduce viral load to the point of suppression.3-6
Don’t let fear keep you from getting the answers you need. With STDtest.com, you never have to feel alone. A dedicated team of Care Advisors is available 7 days a week from 6 am to 10 pm to answer any questions you might have and to guide you through the process. Our medical team is available for a follow up questions and depending on the condition, they can send a prescription to your pharmacy or they can connect you with a local physician to help you with a longer-term treatment plan. Know the facts, get tested and get treated so you can get back to the important things in your life.
The most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the Greensboro and through the limits of Guilford County is chlamydia, with the number of infections currently on the decline. From 2009 to 2014, the highest number of chlamydia infections reported to the Guilford County government was 4,038 in 2011. In 2013, 3,879 new chlamydia diagnoses were reported compared to 3,563 in 2014. Another sexually transmitted infection with declining numbers in the given metropolitan statistical area is gonorrhea, with 1,382 new reported infections in 2013 compared to 1,272 the following year. From 2009 to 2014, the year with the highest reported number of gonorrhea infections was 2011.2
According to reports from Guilford County, one sexually transmitted disease currently on the rise is primary and secondary syphilis. In 2014, 39 new infections were reported compared to 29 the year before. Between 2009 and 2014, the highest number of primary and secondary syphilis cases reported was in 2011. Yet another sexually transmitted disease demonstrating infection numbers on the decline is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), with 117 new infections in 2013 compared to 103 reported in 2014.2 To keep these trends moving downward, regular testing and treatment, if medically necessary, is an easy step to take. Don’t skip out on knowing your status because of stigma or shame. Getting tested could be as simple as a trained Lab Collection Specialist arriving at your door to collect test samples, if available in your area.
Sexual education in the Greensboro area is less than comprehensive, and this is so mandated by state law. North Carolina House Bill 88 outlines sexual education standards for all public school institutions as essentially age-appropriate, medically accurate and stressing abstinence as the only 100% effective form of prevention against STDs, HIV/AIDS and unintended teenage pregnancy. It is also written into the law that the socially acceptable standard behavior for children in school is abstinence. It also cites that being in a heterosexual, monogamous relationship through marriage, is, “The best lifelong means of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.” Other focuses of this curriculum include highlighting the positives of abstinent behavior and the risks of sex outside of marriage.7
While the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy is paramount to the health of young people physically and emotionally, only sharing part of the bigger picture when it comes to contraception can often cause more harm than good. It’s proven by data collected by the CDC that young people all across the United States ages 15-24 account for nearly 10 million of the 20 million sexually transmitted diseases each year,8 meaning that although abstinence is being taught, it is not necessarily being followed through in practice. Teaching comprehensive sexual education, a combination of abstinence and other methods of safe sex can reduce the number of STDs in this vulnerable population. Creating an open dialogue including all of the facts and options could make the difference between a young person getting the test they need and linking to the right treatment or a young person leaving an STD untreated.
According to the 2015 Guilford State of the County Health Report, the most common communicable diseases in the area are STDs. Often, the demographic distribution of these conditions depends on a few variables, which can be related to the community population or the specific disease. The average rate of chlamydia HIV in Guilford County exceeds the North Carolina average. Also, syphilis averages continue to climb in the Greensboro area in conjunction with a notable rise all across the state. North Carolina generally saw a downturn of STD case reports from 2011-2014, with numbers starting to surge upward as of 2015. This impacts large urban counties in the state like Guilford adversely.9
Certain trends in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases that are observed all around the county are similarly observed in the Greensboro and Guilford County area. For example, the African American racial/ethnic group reports a number of STIs disproportionate to their population in the community. For example, this group reports the majority of HIV infections, along with Hispanics and males. An integral part of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the US, the plan proposed by the US government to lower rates of virus with a goal of eradication, is linking as many people with a positive diagnosis to antiretroviral therapy, the regimen that allows for the highest chance of total viral load suppression, meaning a much higher quality of life. However, without a diagnosis, an individual cannot get the treatment they need.9&10
Spend more of your free time on what you most enjoy, like taking in a concert with family and friends at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, rather than fretting and feeling uncertain about your STD status? Getting started with STDtest.com is simple. To begin, you’ll answer a brief medical questionnaire to receive your doctor-recommended panel of tests, customized to your personal history and symptoms. Next, you can choose a lab from a national network of thousands (no appointment needed) or the lab can come to you (at-home, at-work, anywhere testing) to collect your samples, with only an hours’ notice. For both options, once your samples are collected, results are usually available in three business days or less. The medical team is available for a follow up consult to discuss your diagnosis, answer any remaining questions, and even to prescribe treatment, if medically appropriate and if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.