February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. CDC data shows that Black/African American are at a higher risk for HIV infection as compared to other races and ethnicities. Why? Because these communities are impacted by demographic factors such as discrimination, stigma, and institutionalized health disparities—all of which affect their risk for HIV. If you reside […]
Health Alert: If you’re sexually active, get a full screening for sexually transmitted infections
The CDC is reporting the number of new sexually transmitted infections continues to go up, with the highest number of STIs in the U.S. ever. The newly released CDC 2020 STD Surveillance Report found that at the end of 2020: Reported cases of gonorrhea and primary & secondary (P&S) syphilis were up 10% and 7%, respectively, compared to 2019. Syphilis among newborns (i.e., […]
Doctors Haven’t Seen So Many Cases of This STI in 72 Years
From hivplugmag.com… Syphilis bottomed out in the U.S. in the late 1990s, with the CDC hoping to fully eradicate the disease. Only years later, syphilis rates would start rising; by 2021, more than 52,000 cases were reported. Many factors could be at play, but officials believe the COVID pandemic is mostly at fault. Testing and […]
Universities create special HIV testing initiative to provide free HIV self-test kits to PA residents
According to a 2020 CDC report, out of more than 30,000 new cases of HIV infection in the United States, Black and Latinx populations bear the brunt of being most at risk, accounting for two-thirds (20,000) of the new infections. The reason (the CDC also reports) is due to institutionalized health disparities among those groups. […]
Health Alert – Cases of monkeypox reported in U.S.
Cases of monkeypox have been identified in travelers from countries where the disease is considered an endemic. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Health Advisory in the United States. As of June 3rd, 21 cases in the U.S. have been confirmed or suspected, including one case in […]
May 19th is National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
From HIV.gov… May 19th is National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This observance, led by the San Francisco Community Health Center, raises awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS, risk, and stigma surrounding HIV in the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community. In recent years, annual HIV diagnoses have increased among some in […]
COVID 19 Impact: Cases of Gonorrhea, syphilis, and Congenital Syphilis Surpass 2019 Levels
From medical.net… Reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States decreased during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but most resurged by the end of that year. Ultimately, reported cases of gonorrhea, syphilis, and congenital syphilis surpassed 2019 levels, while chlamydia declined, according to new data published today by […]
S.T.I.s Are on the Rise, Still
From the New York Times… Rates of many sexually transmitted infections continued to climb during the first year of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement posted to its website on Tuesday. While overall there were 2.4 million infections recorded in 2020, down from a record high of 2.6 million in […]
Highest rates of syphilis infection in 30 years says PA Health Department
The Pennsylvania Department of Health recently reported that during 2021, the state (outside of Philadelphia) experienced a 28% increase in early syphilis—going from 1,105 cases reported in 2020 to 1,418 cases reported in 2021. The latest numbers are the highest infection rates of early syphilis cases in more than 30 years. Of the early syphilis […]
Erie County Department of Health: Historic increase in new Syphilis infections
Erie County Department of Health is reporting a record-breaking increase in new Syphilis infections in the county — 41 cases in 2021. That’s an increase of 310% from the previous year. Most new infections were among people under the age of 30. Men accounted for 78% of the new infections and 22% were women. As […]