Montgomery’s famous past as one of the historic sites of the Civil Rights movement is still felt in the city today. Unfortunately, in more recent news, Alabama’s state capital has been singled out for a dubious distinction, the STD capital of America. Getting tested and treated, if medically appropriate, is an important measure to take for lowering the numbers and rates of STDs in the Montgomery and surrounding county areas. Scheduling an appointment for STD testing at your primary care doctor’s office can mean weeks of waiting to be seen, and the waiting room at a free clinic can be crowded and overwhelming. STDtest.com offers a different alternative that is more tailored to your personal schedule. Read on to learn more.
Since the reports found their way to the national media outlets, the most recent data provided by the Alabama Department of Public health demonstrates a decline of various commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia and gonorrhea. One STD continuing to increase in the greater Montgomery County area is the prevalence of syphilis, a condition that can be treated and cured with the proper regimen. However, left untreated, it can cause far more severe medical complications, including ocular syphilis, neurosyphilis and congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis is potentially dangerous infection passed from mother to child that can cause birth defects or even fetal death.1-3
Getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases can feel stressful, embarrassing or even shameful, but it doesn’t need to be. STDtest.com offers a discreet service, but with a dedicated team of Care Advisors available 7 days a week from 6 am to 10 pm CT to answer questions, you’ll never have to feel alone. Get the answers you need to breathe a sigh of relief. According to the CDC, all STDs can be treated and many can be cured. Leaving these infections untreated, however, can lead to more serious medical issues like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or infertility.4
One sexually transmitted condition currently on the rise in Montgomery is syphilis, according to a 2015 summary presented by the Alabama Department of Public Health. In 2015, 70 new cases were reported compared to 49 the year before, a 30% increase. From 2011 to 2015, the highest number of reported syphilis cases was in 2012, with 86 total new infections. Conversely, the STD that saw the most dramatic year-over-year decrease in 2015 in Montgomery County was gonorrhea, with 94 new infections reported in 2015 compared to 604 in 2014, a 36% decrease. From 2011 to 2015, 2012 stood out as the year with the highest instance of new gonorrhea cases, with 1,320.1
Chlamydia is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the Montgomery County area. In 2015, 2,252 new instances of the infection were reported compared to 2,805 the previous year. Slightly out of step with trends observed in gonorrhea and syphilis reporting, the highest year for chlamydia infections between 2011 and 2015 was 2013 (compared to 2012), with 3,059 new infections reported to the state of Alabama. HIV continues to increase very slightly in the area, as well, with 70 new infections reported in 2014 compared to 72 in 2015. Knowing the risks, getting tested and getting treated when need be is the single surest path of lowering the number and rate of STDs in Montgomery, Alabama.1&2
Sexual education, or the lack thereof, in Montgomery and the state of Alabama very well could be a contributing factor to the unfortunate labeling of the city as the one-time “STD Capital of the US”. According to the Alabama State Department of Education, “Abstinence-stress” education is a cornerstone of the curriculum. It is stressed in public school classrooms, including those in Montgomery, that abstinence is the only 100% effective method of prevention against STDs and that sex outside of marriage is not the socially acceptable choice. Also, it is instructed in public schools that homosexuality is not a socially acceptable choice and is frowned-upon lifestyle.6
This method of sexual education, while it does encourage age-appropriate curriculum based on human growth and development as well as supporting healthy decision-making skills, it does not provide a full picture of the risks, facts, testing and treatment options for those young people who do choose to engage in premarital sex. Of the nearly 20 million sexually transmitted diseases reported each year in the US, young people ages 15-24 account for nearly 50% of these cases. “Knowledge is power” rings true in this instance, and could mean the difference between a healthy young adult who caught their STD early, got tested and received treatment and an unhealthy young person who left an infection untreated for too long and is one of the 24,000 young women each year suffering infertility as a result of this inaction. Getting the facts, getting tested and reaching out for help are essential for a healthier population in Montgomery’s future.6&7
People ages 15-24 in Montgomery County, Alabama feel the weight of the impact of sexually transmitted disease. This age group reports 62.6% of all new chlamydia infections, 63.2% all new gonorrhea infections and 52.8% new syphilis infections in the area as of 2015 information published by the Alabama Department of Public Health. These statistics reveal an imperative needed to educate young people in the area how to know the signs, get treated and get tested for these common conditions.2
In the entire state of Alabama, 71% of all new HIV infections reported in 2013 were attributed to the African American racial/ethnic group, a disproportionate number, as this group accounts for only 27% of the state population. In Alabama, African American men are 6.8 times more likely than white men to be diagnosed with HIV, and African American women are 11.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus than white women. Reaching out and spreading the word about testing, linkage to care with a goal of viral load suppression is one of the most integral tactics of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the initiative set forth by the government for lowering the prevalence of the virus all around the country and the world.2&8
Why not spend more time in Montgomery on something you enjoy, like an entertaining evening with family and friends at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, rather than feeling stressed and uncertain about your STD status? Getting started with STDtest.com is simple. By answering a few questions briefly online or by phone, you’ll receive a doctor-recommended panel of tests, customized to your personal history and symptoms. Next, you can choose a lab from a national network of thousands for a short visit (usually 30 minutes or less) to get your test samples collected.
If available in your area, you can select In-Home Collection, a service where the lab technician comes to you to collect your test samples. For both options, test results are usually available 3 business days or less following test sample collection. 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.