Milwaukee is a city on the rise in the heart of the country, with a growing downtown area and a dedicated legion of Packers fans. This up-and-coming Midwestern metropolis also experiences the increase of certain sexually transmitted diseases, like primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis.1-4 The simplest way to slow down the spread of disease in the Milwaukee County area is to get tested and linked to treatment, if medically appropriate. Scheduling an appointment at your primary doctor’s office can mean waiting weeks before you get in and the waiting room at a free clinic can be crowded and overwhelming. STDtest.com offers an alternative that is fast, convenient and affordable. Read on to learn more.
There’s so much to see and do in Milwaukee, like visiting the Harley Davidson Museum or the Pabst Mansion, so why not stress less to make more free time for what you enjoy? If you’re feeling concern over an STD, you’re not alone. Nearly 20 million new infections are estimated each year in the United States and many of these common infections present without any symptoms. All of these conditions can be treated and many can be cured, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. STIs without a cure, like HIV, certain forms of viral hepatitis and genital herpes can all be managed with treatment. However, in order to get treated, a diagnosis is needed.6-8
If you’re feeling embarrassed or even ashamed of getting tested for STDs, STDtest.com is a discreet testing option from start to finish. If you visit a local lab, when your name is called it will be for “diagnostic testing”. Any email communication received will not have the name of our service, it will be from “APG Services”. The privacy of your results is protected by best-of-industry technology, all in an effort to further increase the discretion of testing. While this service is confidential, it is not anonymous. Any information that is provided is expected to be accurate.
The most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the Milwaukee city and county area is chlamydia, with 9,266 infections reported in 2014 compared to 9,703 in 2013. From 2011 to 2014, the highest number of new reported chlamydia cases was 2011 with 10,869 new cases reported to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, representing an overall 14.7% decrease during the reporting period. Gonorrhea is the second-highest sexually transmitted disease reported in the Milwaukee area. In 2013, 3,040 new infections of gonorrhea were reported compared to 2,476 the following year, documenting a decrease of 9.7%.1-4
Primary and secondary syphilis continue to rise in this metropolitan statistical area, with 149 new infections in 2013 compared to 171 in 2014. While this sexually transmitted disease is typically reported in lower numbers in comparison to chlamydia and gonorrhea, all stages of syphilis are can become particularly serious if left untreated. If syphilis is not caught in time, it can become ocular syphilis (a syphilis infection of the eye) neurosyphilis (a syphilis infection in the brain) or congenital syphilis, a potentially very severe condition passed from mother to child that can result in birth defects or even fetal death.1-4,8 In the greater Milwaukee area, 116 new HIV infections were reported in 2013 compared to 105 in 2015, a 9.5% decrease.10Anyone at risk for sexually transmitted diseases should continue to get screened yearly or periodically to continue the lowering of the STD numbers and rates not just in Milwaukee, but in the state of Wisconsin and across the country.
According to Wisconsin state law, abstinence-stress sexual education should be taught in all state public schools, including the Milwaukee Public School District. The statute states that all schools must offer age-appropriate, medically accurate HIV/AIDS and sexual education, with an emphasis on abstinence as the most effective method of preventing sexually transmitted diseases as well as unintended pregnancy. While abstinence is an important facet of comprehensive sexual education, providing young people with the whole picture by including instruction about contraceptives and other preventive methods for safe sex makes youth in Milwaukee more vulnerable. Knowing the facts is key to making healthy and smart decisions.11
All across the country, teenagers and young adults are one of the highest risk groups for the spread of sexually transmitted disease and are estimated to have nearly 50% of all new infections annually, despite representing only 27% of the nation’s sexually active population.12 This disproportionate distribution can be aided by preparing teens with the information for what it means to be at risk for a sexually transmitted disease, how to get tested and how to best get treated. Most STDs present without any symptoms at all, making it easy to spread conditions between partners without either one’s awareness.
Youth experience some of the highest number of reported STDs in the Milwaukee. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 15-24 year olds in this metropolitan statistical area account for 65.5% of all chlamydia infections, 64.2% of gonorrhea infections and 45% of syphilis infections. In the area, 69.9% of new cases of chlamydia were reported in women compared to 30% in men in 2014. The gender divide between men and women is nearly equal when it comes to distribution of gonorrhea infections in Milwaukee, with 49.2% of new cases reported in men compared to 50.6% reported in women. It is a common trend most metropolitan areas around the country for men to report higher numbers of syphilis than women, and Milwaukee is no exception, with men accounting for 87.1% of total diagnoses reported to the county in 2014.1-4
HIV in the Milwaukee area affects men at a higher number than women, with this demographic group accounting for 85.8% of 2015 diagnoses in Milwaukee County. The racial/ethnic group accounting for the majority of new HIV infections as of the latest reports released by the Wisconsin Department of Health Service is the African American population, with 61.9% of total 2015 infections. The method of transmission accounting for the highest number new reported HIV diagnoses is through men who have sex with men (MSM) with 79%. Reaching out to groups that are at high risk for HIV and AIDS infections and encouraging them to get tested and linked to care is a driving factor for the overall success of the National HIV AIDS Strategy, the plan to eventually eradicate the STD across the United States.10-13
Why not spend your time on what you enjoy most in Milwaukee, like spending a food-and-shopping-fueled day with family and friends in the Third Ward, rather than feeling stressed and uncertain about your sexual health status? Getting started with STDtest.com is simple. By answering a few brief questions online or by phone, you’ll receive a doctor-recommended panel of tests, customized to your personal history and symptoms. After that, you’ll select an option for test sample collection. All across the country, we offer same-day testing, no appointment necessary at thousands of convenient lab locations. If available in your area, a lab technician can come to you at the place you choose.
For both options, once test 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 allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.