The city of Riverside and the surrounding county of the same name bubble with creativity and innovation. This sunny Southern California city offers plenty of sunshine year round and is an ideal location to raise a family. However, in this city and county area of over 2.36 million residents1 continues to see a rise of sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.2-4
Getting tested and linked to care, if medically appropriate, is essential for lowering STI rates in the city of Riverside and the greater reaches of Riverside County. If you’re looking to get tested at your primary care physician’s office, you’ll find it might take weeks in advance just to schedule an appointment. Also, the waiting rooms at free clinics can be crowded and overwhelming. STDtest.com provides an alternative for your testing needs that is fast, convenient, confidential and discreet. Read on to learn more.
Riverside County is home to such noteworthy cities like Temecula and Indio, the latter home to the world-renowned Coachella festival. This festival attracts a wide variety of young people to the valley each year, and it is this valley accounts for the highest number of reported HIV cases in Riverside County.4 An easy step to take in lowering the prevalence of HIV and other commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis is knowing the risks and getting tested. STDtest.com works with your schedule for an expedited, confidential experience.
According to the CDC, certain populations all across the country are at high risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases, like teenagers and young adults, gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and certain minority groups. It should be noted that anyone who has recently engaged in unprotected sex, anyone with more than one partner over the past year, anyone in a relationship where one partner is positive or anyone who has never been tested for STDs is at risk as well. To help ease the stress of the situation, a dedicated team of Care Advisors is available 7 days a week from 6 am to 10 pm CT to answer any questions and guide you in each step of the process.
In Riverside County, one sexually transmitted disease that saw a 31% year-over-year increase of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis from 2013 to 2014, with 129 and 187 new reported infections, respectively. Another sexually transmitted disease on the rise in the Riverside County area is gonorrhea, with 1,412 new cases reported in 2013 compared to 1,669 in 2014. The most commonly reported STD in Riverside and across the state of California is chlamydia, and the most recent reported numbers reflect a decrease, with 4,452 new infections in 2013 compared to 4,235 in 2014. Looking at the 2010-2014 reporting, the highest number of recorded cases was in 2012 with 4,784.2&3,6
HIV in the Riverside city and county area, as it’s been mentioned, continues to increase from year to year as of the latest reports circulated by the California Department of Public Health. In 2014, 267 new infections of HIV were reported in the Riverside County metropolitan statistical area, compared to 240 the previous year.6 With a variety of commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases on the rise in this part of the state, getting tested is an incredibly simple and helpful way to decrease the spread of STIs. Often, the most common STD symptoms are no symptoms at all, making a test the most definitive way to be aware of your sexual health status. If you’re at risk, do your part and get tested.
The city and county of Riverside, as well as all public schools across the state of California, mandates comprehensive sexual education taught to all students. To directly quote the California Department of Education, “comprehensive sexual education is defined as, “[The] means education regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, family planning, and sexually transmitted diseases.”7 California state legislation particularly focuses on equipping students with the knowledge of how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS with various methods of contraception and other similar measures. Additionally, abstinence-only education is not permitted in California public schools as an acceptable form of sexual instruction.
With young people ages 15-24 accounting for nearly half of the 20 million sexually transmitted diseases estimated each year in America, it’s important to keep an open dialogue about the risks associated with sexual behavior, knowing when to get tested and resources available for treatment. With improved rates of testing, the spread of disease can lower in the Riverside County area. It’s also important to teach curriculum focusing on healthy decision making skills and knowing when to avoid unhealthy risks, such as unprotected sex.8
Chlamydia affects women in far greater numbers than men in Riverside County, with this demographic group accounting 71.4% of 2014 reported infections. The gender discrepancy isn’t quite as large in the instance of reported gonorrhea cases, with men accounting for 59.4% and women accounting for 40.4%. The majority of primary and secondary syphilis cases are reporting in men, with 96.8% of the 2014 infections in Riverside County. While young people ages 15-24 are most commonly affected by chlamydia and gonorrhea, the age for contracting syphilis skews higher (50+).9
The racial/ethnic group most impacted by the spread of chlamydia in the Riverside area is the Hispanic population segment, with 26.5% of reported infections. Gonorrhea sees the Hispanic population accounting for the majority of new infections, with 22.1%. The demographic group with the highest number of 2014 primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis infections is the Caucasian population with 61.4%. Getting tested and treated for these sexually transmitted diseases is integral in improving the community health of the greater Riverside metropolitan statistical area.9
Spend time on more of what you enjoy in Riverside, like a fun day with family and friends at Castle Park, rather than feeling stressed and worried about your sexual health status. Getting started with STDTest.com is simple. By answering a few brief medical questions, you’ll receive a doctor-recommended panel of tests, tailored to your personal history and symptoms. Next, you’ll choose a testing option. You can choose a lab most convenient for your from a national network of thousands for a brief visit (usually 30 minutes or less) to collect your test samples, no appointment required. If available in your area, In-Home Collection you can get tested at home, work or anywhere you choose.
For both options, results are usually available in 3 business days or less. The medical team is available for follow up to discuss your diagnosis, answer any questions you have and to prescribe treatment, if medically appropriate and allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.