Oakland might be best known for it’s unstoppable sports teams, but this charming California town offers so much more, including a wide variety of museums and the stunning Tilden Regional Park. The prevalence of sexually transmitted disease continues to climb in the Oakland and greater Alameda County area, including HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea, according to reports from the California.1-4 Knowing the risks, getting tested and seeking out treatment if medically appropriate are simple ways to improve the sexual health of Oakland and the greater Alameda county population, home to over 1.64 million residents.5
Getting tested at your primary care physician’s office can often mean waiting weeks to schedule an appointment and the waiting rooms at free clinics can be crowded and overwhelming. STDtest.com provides a different option that is fast, convenient, discreet and tailored to your personal schedule. Read on to learn more.
Oakland is the largest city in the Alameda County area and it also accounts for the highest number of new HIV infections, according to the Alameda County Public Health Department.6 Many people who are infected by STDs might not even know it, which makes it easier to transmit these conditions from partner to another. That makes periodic or yearly testing for anyone at risk especially important. Populations at high risk all across the United States include teenagers and young adults, gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (MSM), according to data published by the CDC. All STDs can be treated and many can be cured, namely chlamydia, gonorrhea, primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis and trichomoniasis.7 Getting connected to the treatment you need requires a diagnosis first, so let us take the stress out of this crucial step.
STDtest.com offers a service that focuses on privacy, exemplary patient care and customer service and convenience. By answering a brief medical questionnaire, you’re on your way to receiving the right tests for you and access to same-day testing with results usually available in three business days or less. A dedicated team of Care Advisors is available 7 days a week from 6 am to 10 pm CT to answer any questions you have and to guide you each step of the way. STD testing can often seem embarrassing or even shameful, but with STDtest.com, you don’t have to feel alone.
The most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in Oakland, Alameda County and across the state of California is chlamydia. In 2014, Alameda 7,018 new infections were reported, an increase from 2013 with 6,458. Another sexually transmitted infection on the rise in the Oakland area is gonorrhea with an 18.3% increase of infections between 2013 and 2014. While it is reported in far lower numbers than chlamydia and gonorrhea, the number and rate of P&S syphilis cases continues to decrease in this metropolitan statistical area, falling from 156 cases in 2013 to 146 in 2014. Primary syphilis can lead to serious medical complications if left untreated, like ocular syphilis, neurosyphilis or congenital syphilis, a potentially life-threatening condition passed from mother to child.1-3,8
HIV in Alameda County continues to rise incrementally year-over-year in Oakland and Alameda County as well. In 2012, 197 new infections were reported in the population compared to 189 the year previously. Antiretroviral therapy can greatly lower the viral load and improve the quality of life for those with a positive diagnosis. However, left undiagnosed, the complications of the disease are left to worsen, with a higher potential of progressing to AIDS.4&9
Oakland, Alameda County and the state of California enact a policy of comprehensive sexual education in public schools, as mandated by the California state government. “Comprehensive sexual education” is further defined as presenting curriculum that is age-appropriate, medically-accurate that focuses on all aspects of STD teen and unintended pregnancy prevention, including abstinence and other methods of contraception. Another aim of this method of instruction is to teach young adults coping skills for developing healthy relationships, knowing and reporting abusive or unhealthy relationships and the development of strong self-esteem as a tool in healthy decision-making.10
The Oakland Unified School District is also the recipient of grant funding from the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. This funding encourages the instruction of “exemplary sexual health education,” including teaching about resources in the community that aid with sexual health. All recipients of this grant are required to administer the Youth Risk Behavior Survey in their school district, a survey that evaluates what issues students are facing, what’s missing from the current curriculum and how these issues can be addressed. Creating an open dialogue around sexual health encourages young people to take control of their sexual health and even to reach out when they’ve made a risky choice. With nearly 10 million of the 20 sexually transmitted diseases estimated annually in the US attributed to young people ages 15-24, education is key for lowering this number.10-11
In Oakland and Alameda county, the number of chlamydia infections reported in women far exceeds the number reported in men, with 62.3% of all new diagnoses. The age group impacted by the highest number of new chlamydia infections is 15-24 year olds, according to the most recent reports from the California Department of Public Health. The racial/ethnic group accounting for the majority of chlamydia infections in the county is the African American population, with 18.18% of all 2014 infections. In 2014, women reported 36.9% of all county gonorrhea infections compared to men with 62.9%. Typically, men report cases of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis, as evidenced with 91.1% of new cases attributed to men in the most recent years’ reporting.13
Men are also the sex primarily affected by the rising number and rate of HIV infection in Oakland and Alameda County. In 2012, men reported 84% of all 593 new infections, compared to women, who reported 14%. Looking at the racial/ethnic group distribution of the sexually transmitted disease, 42% of all new infections in 2012 were reported in African Americans, followed by Caucasians with 24%. Reaching out and spreading the word to these high-risk populations about getting tested and linked to treatment is an integral aim of the national strategy to lower the rates and eventually eliminate HIV/AIDS in the US and around the world.4&14
Oakland residents should spend more time engaged in what they enjoy, like catching a Raiders or Warriors game at the O.co Coliseum, rather than waiting and worrying about their 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. Next, choose a testing option. You’ll can select a lab location from a national network of thousands for a brief visit (usually 30 minutes or less) to get test samples collected. If available in your area, you can get tested at home, work or anywhere you choose with In-Home Collection.
For both options, 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 questions and even to prescribe treatment, if medically appropriate and if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.