(Placerville, CA) - April is National Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month. The Public Health Division of the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency is reaching out to the community during the month of April to provide information about STDs, risk factors and ways people can protect themselves and those around them.
"Sexually transmitted diseases are more common that people think and can create long term health problems if left untreated, including infertility," said Michael Ungeheuer, RN, MN, PHN, Public Health Deputy Director. "Our goal is to raise awareness, especially among people who may not know they are at risk."
According to Ungeheuer, chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most common types of STDs among those tested in El Dorado County. In 2018, approximately 500 chlamydia and 100 gonorrhea infections were identified in the county. In addition, a total of 19 cases of syphilis, including one case of congenital syphilis (a baby born with syphilis), were identified in El Dorado County in 2018.
Syphilis rates have been rising across California in recent years. This is concerning because syphilis infection can have serious complications for adults or their offspring if untreated. Babies born with syphilis infections can have problems such as cataracts, deafness, or seizures, and can die. Fortunately, syphilis can be cured with the right treatment.
Young people are more likely to get an STD compared to older people, but anyone can be at risk. Risk factors for getting an STD include:
The risk of getting an STD can be reduced by using condoms, dams or other barrier protection during sex; limiting the number of sexual partners; avoiding recreational drug use and excessive alcohol use; and refraining from sex completely.
Not everyone who has an STD has symptoms. In fact the most common symptom of an STD is no symptom at all. The only way a person can know if they have an STD is to get tested. Pregnant women are routinely tested for STDs during the first trimester of their pregnancies. In addition to pregnant women, the following individuals are especially encouraged to be tested for STDs:
STD testing is typically conducted at a doctor's office or health clinic, though some people use on-line and home screening kits. Ungeheuer advised that home collected specimens can have higher false-positive results, and show that a person is infected when they actually are not.
"If a home STD test is positive, contact your health care provider or the public health clinic to confirm the result," said Ungeheuer. "El Dorado County Public Health offers confidential STD screening, evaluation and treatment in Placerville and South Lake Tahoe. We are an expert resource for education and prevention of communicable diseases including sexually transmitted infections."
For more information about STDs, visit www.std.ca.gov. For more information about El Dorado County Public Health Clinical services, visit www.edcgov.us/publichealth.
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(Placerville, CA) - Aprili ni Mwezi wa Kitaifa wa Ujuzi wa Magonjwa ya Kuambukizwa Kwa Ngono (STD). Idara ya Afya ya Umma ya Shirika la Afya na Huduma za Binadamu la Kaunti ya El Dorado inawasiliana na jamii wakati wa mwezi wa Aprili kutoa habari juu ya VIU, sababu za hatari na njia ambazo watu wanaweza kujilinda na wale walio karibu nao. "Ugonjwa wa zinaa ni wa kawaida zaidi kuliko watu wanavyofikiri na unaweza kuunda matatizo ya afya ya muda mrefu ikiwa hayatachukuliwa, ikiwa ni pamoja na utasa, ""alisema Michael Unger, RN, MN, PHN, Naibu Mkurugenzi wa Afya ya Umma." "Lengo letu ni kuongeza ufahamu, hasa miongoni mwa watu ambao wanaweza kuwa hawajui kwamba wako katika hatari". Chlamydia na gonorrhea ni aina mbili za kawaida za magonjwa ya zinaa kati ya wale waliochunguzwa katika Kaunti ya El Dorado. Katika mwaka wa 2018, karibu watu 500 waliambukizwa ugonjwa wa chlamydia na 100 waliambukizwa ugonjwa wa gonorrhea. Kwa kuongezea, jumla ya kesi 19 za ugonjwa wa kifafa, pamoja na kesi moja ya kifafa cha kuzaliwa (mtoto aliyezaliwa na kifafa), iligunduliwa katika Kaunti ya El Dorado mnamo 2018. Viwango vya ugonjwa wa kibofu vimekuwa vikiongezeka kote California katika miaka ya hivi karibuni. Hii ni ya wasiwasi kwa sababu maambukizo ya homa ya chembe za urithi yanaweza kuwa na matatizo makubwa kwa watu wazima au watoto wao ikiwa hayatatibiwa. Watoto wanaozaliwa wakiwa na maambukizo ya kuambukizwa ugonjwa wa kifafa wanaweza kuwa na matatizo kama vile kiwiko cha macho, kiziwi, au mshtuko wa akili, na wanaweza kufa. Kwa bahati nzuri, ugonjwa wa kifafa waweza kutibiwa kwa matibabu sahihi. Vijana wana uwezekano mkubwa wa kupata ugonjwa wa zinaa kuliko wazee, lakini mtu yeyote anaweza kuwa hatarini. "Hii ni pamoja na: ""Uwezekano wa kupata STD unaweza kupunguzwa kwa kutumia condoms, dams au kizuizi kingine cha ulinzi wakati wa ngono; kupunguza idadi ya washirika wa ngono; kuepuka matumizi ya dawa za kulevya ya burudani na matumizi ya pombe kupita kiasi; na kujizuia kabisa kutoka kwa ngono.""" Si kila mtu aliye na maradhi ya zinaa anayekuwa na dalili. Kwa kweli, dalili ya kawaida ya ugonjwa wa zinaa ni kutokuwa na dalili yoyote. Njia pekee ya kujua kama mtu ana ugonjwa wa zinaa ni kupimwa. Wanawake wajawazito hufanyiwa uchunguzi wa kawaida wa magonjwa ya zinaa katika miezi mitatu ya kwanza ya mimba yao. Kwa kuongezea wanawake wajawazito, watu wafuatayo wanahimizwa hasa kupimwa kwa VIU: Upimaji wa VIU kwa kawaida hufanywa katika ofisi ya daktari au kliniki ya afya, ingawa watu wengine hutumia vifaa vya uchunguzi wa mtandaoni na nyumbani. Ungerheuer alitoa ushauri kwamba sampuli zilizokusanywa nyumbani zinaweza kuwa na matokeo ya juu ya uwongo, na kuonyesha kwamba mtu ameambukizwa wakati kwa kweli hayuko. "Ikiwa mtihani wa magonjwa ya zinaa unaonekana kuwa mzuri, wasiliana na mtoa huduma yako ya afya au kliniki ya afya ya umma ili uthibitishe matokeo", Ungeheuer alisema. El Dorado County Public Health inatoa uchunguzi wa siri wa VIU, tathmini na matibabu huko Placerville na South Lake Tahoe. "Tunafanya kazi kwa bidii katika elimu na kuzuia magonjwa ya kuambukiza, ikiwa ni pamoja na maambukizi ya zinaa.""" Kwa habari zaidi kuhusu STD, tembelea www.std.ca.gov. Kwa maelezo zaidi kuhusu huduma za El Dorado County Public Health Clinical, tembelea www.edcgov.us. ## ## ## ## ## #