Rochester is just inland of Lake Ontario and is a lush and lovely university town nestled in upstate New York. There’s plenty of fun to be had around Rochester, like a trip with family and friends to Seabreeze Amusement Park. However, the city and surrounding Monroe County, NY continues to see an increase of commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea and syphilis.1-5 Getting tested and treated for STDs is an important way to lower the rates in the greater Rochester and Monroe County area. Scheduling a doctor’s appointment for STD testing at can often mean waiting weeks before getting in, and the waiting room at a free clinic can be crowded or overwhelming. STDtest.com offers a different way to get tested for STDs that is still discreet and private, but is more tailored to your personal schedule. Read on to learn more.
Monroe County area is home to nearly 750,000 residents, with 72% of the county population residing in the city of Rochester.6 With various sexually transmitted diseases in stages of increasing and decreasing numbers, it’s important for those at risk for these conditions to get tested. For example, the CDC recommends that sexually active young women (as well as older women with risk factors) get tested yearly for chlamydia, as this STI affects this gender in disproportionate numbers and often presents without any symptoms.7 It’s also a good idea to get tested before entering a new monogamous sexual relationship.
Anyone sexually active who has never been tested before, anyone who just had unprotected sex, anyone with multiple sexual partners recently or within the last year or anyone who fears they’ve been exposed to an STD should be tested as soon as possible. The thought of getting tested for STDs can be stressful, embarrassing or even shameful, but it doesn’t need to be. At STDtest.com, you can talk to a dedicated, trained team of Care Advisors 7 days a week from 6 am to 10 pm with any questions you may have. After you get tested, you can connect with our medical team to discuss any issues related to your diagnosis.
Rochester and the greater Monroe County, NY area saw a significant increase of early syphilis cases in the reporting area from 2013 to 2014, according to reports issued by the New York State Health Department. In 2013, 38 new infections were reported compared to 56 the year before, a 32.1% increase. The numbers in Monroe County show a continuing upward trend, with 19 early syphilis infections reported in 2012. Another STD currently on the rise in the area that shows a fluctuating trend is gonorrhea. In 2012, 1,103 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the Monroe County Health Department (in turn, to the state health department), followed by 1,019 in 2013 and according to the most recent data, 1,158 in 2014. Between 2013 and 2014, this sexually transmitted infection saw an increase of 12%.1-5
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to decrease in the Rochester and Monroe County metropolitan statistical area. In 2012, 92 cases were reported to the local health authorities in this area, followed by 101 in 2013 and 79 in 2014. Chlamydia, though it is currently decreasing in this city and county, continues to be the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the area, with 4,140 infections in 2014, compared to 4,582 the year before. Continuing to educate residents on the risk factors, when and how to get tested and the best ways to get treatment is important for maintaining and improving the communal sexual health of Rochester and Monroe County.3, 8-11
The New York State Department of Education as well as the Rochester School District offers a comprehensive sexual education curriculum, as mandated by state law. As outlined by the Rochester School District, this method of instruction aims to share the knowledge about maintaining sexual health as well as how to avoid sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy. Comprehensive sexual education instructs on both the importance of abstinence as well as the ability of contraceptives to help protect against STDs, HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy. Another aim of this curriculum is to teach students health decision making skills and different ways to boost their self-esteem, so when they are faced with a difficult choice, they are armed with all of the facts and confidence to make the safest possible decision.12
This approach to youth and human sexuality helps to open the dialogue between students, their parents and a supportive community of educators and mentors to help with answering the tough questions. It’s one thing to know the facts, but knowing what do when sexual health is compromised takes courage. Making students aware of when they should get tested for STDs is an important step in the process. Removing the stigma around STD testing can help to lower the rate of infection in this high-risk population. According to the CDC, young people age 15-24 account for nearly 50% of the 20 million sexually transmitted diseases estimated in the United States each year.
In the metropolitan statistical area covering New York State and excluding New York City, age plays is a large variable when it comes to the demographic distribution of sexually transmitted diseases. In 2014, the 20-29 age group reported 22,047 new chlamydia infections to the local health authorities. The age group attributed to the highest number of new gonorrhea infections in the greater New York State area exclusive of New York City is the 20-29 year old population, with 3,373 new cases of the sexually transmitted infection reported. Early syphilis impacts 20-29 year olds with the most frequency, according to reports from the New York State Department of Health.14
While chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are commonly reported STDs that can be cured with antibiotics, certain STDs like HIV have no cure, but can be managed with medicine. It’s important that anyone with a positive HIV diagnosis be linked to antiretroviral therapy (ART), because it can greatly improve their quality of life. The ultimate goal of ARV is viral suppression (the virus is barely detectable in the body with viral suppression, fending off sickness, transition to AIDS and making it less likely to pass on the virus to a partner). In Rochester, 87% of patients diagnosed with HIV are linked to care within three months, and 69% of all HIV cases in the area are virally suppressed, as of 2013. This continued effort of care is a significant aim of the 90-90-90 resolution, a plan put in place by the UN to lower the rate and eventually eradicate HIV and AIDS all around the world.
Make more free time for what you enjoy most in Rochester, like catching a ball game at Frontier Field, when you get the answers you need about your STD status. Getting started with STDtest.com is easy. You’ll begin by answering a few brief questions online or by phone to get your personal doctor recommendation of tests, based on your personal history and symptoms. Next, you’ll select a testing option. You can choose a local lab from a national network of thousands for a short visit (usually 30 minutes or less) to collect your test samples. If available in your area, In-Home Collection brings the lab to you. With only an hour’s notice, a trained Lab Collection Specialist can arrive at your location of choice to collect your blood or urine sample.
For both options, test results are usually available in three business days or less. Our medical team is available for follow up to answer your questions, discuss your diagnosis and they can even prescribe treatment, if medically appropriate and if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.