While the rates of infection of sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia are going down compared to year-over-year data from the Allegheny County Health Department, the Allegheny County rate exceeded both that of the Pennsylvania and the United States.² Regular testing for those at risk for these commonly reported in the Pittsburgh and greater Allegheny County area is important for keeping these numbers in check. Who is at risk? This list includes, but is not limited to, anyone sexually active who has never been tested, anyone who recently engaged in unprotected sex, anyone sexually engaged with multiple partners recently or within the last year, or anyone who for any reason suspects they’ve been exposed to a sexually transmitted infection should get tested as soon as possible.

According to the CDC, certain groups are at high risk and should get tested yearly. One of these groups is young women under the age of 25 (or older women with risk factors) should get tested each year for chlamydia.³ An STD test can mean the difference between a bacterial infection being detected, treated and cured and a patient experiencing the more serious medical complications of untreated STDs, like infertility. According to the CDC, all infections can be treated and many can be cured, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. The STDs that do not have a cure, including HIV/AIDS, certain forms of viral hepatitis and genital herpes, can be managed with medicine to greatly improve the patient’s quality of life.^4-7

STD Test Statistics in Pittsburgh, PA

In Pittsburgh and the greater Allegheny County area, one sexually transmitted infection currently on the rise, however slightly, is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. In 2012, 137 new infections were reported to the Allegheny County Health Department, followed by 141 in 2013. Similarly, 91 AIDS infections were reported in this metropolitan statistical area in 2012 compared to 93 in 2013. In a report from the health department reviewing 10 years of HIV and AIDS reports, the year with the highest number of HIV infections was in 2003 with 477 cases. The year with the highest number of reported AIDS infections was 2003 as well, with 459 new infections in the Pittsburgh and Allegheny County area.²

The sexually transmitted disease reported most frequently not just in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County but all across Pennsylvania and the rest of the United States is chlamydia. Compared to the U.S. and Pennsylvania state average, Allegheny County reported a chlamydia infection rate of 494.9 diagnoses per 100,000 residents in 2013 compared to Pennsylvania’s reported average rate of 407.8/100,000 and the cumulative U.S. average rate of 446.6/100,000. Gonorrhea, an STD that is also on the decline in this statistical reporting area, saw reports of 6,442 total infections by local authorities in 2012 compared to 6,095 in 2013. The Pittsburgh and Allegheny county area’s rate of 176.2 cases per 100,000 is higher compared to the Pennsylvania average rate of 108.7/100,000. Another sexually transmitted disease currently on the decline is primary and secondary syphilis, with 95 total cases reported in Allegheny County in 2012 compared to 63 in 2013.²

STD Testing and Sexual Education in Pittsburgh

According to the Guttmacher Report surveying state-to-state sexual and HIV/AIDS education, the state of Pennsylvania does mandate HIV/AIDS education, however, it does not require sexual education in its public school system. According to documents released by the Pittsburgh Public School District, the health and physical education policies in the Pittsburgh area supports a community of well-informed, inquisitive and healthy young students. Sexuality is one of the topics discussed in health courses, with the intent to bolster student self-esteem and confidence, in turn helping students make the best and most healthy choices possible. Abstinence is stressed in all HIV/AIDs education as the only 100% effective method to avoid contracting the virus.^8&9

Informing young people with all of the facts, risks and resources available to assist them should their sexual health be compromised is an important way to help lower the incidence of sexually transmitted disease not just in Pittsburgh but all across Pennsylvania. All across the United States, young people ages 15-24 account for nearly half of the 20 million sexually transmitted diseases estimated each year in the United States. One of the reasons cited by the CDC that makes this age group at such high risk is “confidentiality concern”, or a general fear or shame of revealing their sexual behavior to a primary care doctor or other trusted adult. Letting concerns about an STD go unanswered can open up this age group to the potentially more serious health problems, like epididymitis in men and pelvic inflammatory disease in women.^10&11

STD Testing and Demographics in Pittsburgh

Age is a large variable in the way sexually transmitted diseases are spread across the population in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. For example, 26% of all chlamydia cases reported in 2014 were attributed to the 15-19 age group. Also looking at the chlamydia data provided by the Allegheny County, women account for 69.6% of the chlamydia cases reported by local health authorities. The racial/ethnic group that accounted for the highest number of infections according to reports of this, the most frequently documented STI in the area, was the African American affected population, seeing a rate of infection of 2,197 diagnoses per 100,000 residents. Another STD in the area is gonorrhea, which also sees a high number of young people affected. In 2013, 63.4% of all gonorrhea infections reported by health authorities to the county government were attributed to the 15-24 age group. In Allegheny County, women are more likely to get diagnosed with gonorrhea compared to men.²

In Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, men are far more likely to be affected by HIV than women, a trend that plays out all across the United States, in cities small and large. One of the highest risk groups for infection is community of men who have sex with men (MSM), accounting for 87% of reported infections as of 2013. Reaching out to these at-risk communities to continue supporting educational efforts as well as encouraging get tested and linked to treatment if medically appropriate is essential. Linking all those with a positive HIV diagnosis to antiretroviral therapy in hopes of gaining viral suppression is an integral aim of the National HIV/AIDS strategy (NHAS).^2&12

Your Best Pittsburgh STD Testing Option

Enjoy life in Pittsburgh more and stress less when you get the right tests to answer the questions you have about your unknown STD status. You’ll have more free time to take part in what makes this city great, like catching a Pirates or Steelers game at Heinz Field. Getting started with STDtest.com is simple. Answer a short medical questionnaire to receive a recommendation of the tests you should take from our doctors. You’ll then choose a testing option. You can select a local lab 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, we can bring testing anywhere you choose with In-Home Collection. Within an hour of your request, a Lab Collection Specialist can be at any place of your choice to collect your test samples.

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

References:

1 US Census Bureau Quick Facts Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, PA
2 Allegheny County Health Department STD/HIV Program 2013 Annual STD Report
3 Chlamydia – CDC Fact Sheet
4 The Lowdown on How to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Disease
5 CDC – Act Against AIDS – HIV Treatment
6 CDC – Viral Hepatitis 2015 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines
7 Genital Herpes Treatment and Care
8 State Policies in Brief – Sex and HIV Education
9 Health and Physical Education
10 Mayo Clinic – Epididymitis
11 Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
12 National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States