Douglas County doesn’t stack up well against other areas when it comes to the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases. But at least the issue is receiving major attention from two major institutions.
Christopher Fisher, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health, notes that Douglas County unfortunately provides good ground for his studies in human sexuality and sexual education and health.
Douglas County — which, of course, demographically consists of Omaha for the most part these days — is in the midst of nothing less than an epidemic of STDs. For five years, the county has had double the national rate for chlamydia. The Douglas County rate for gonorrhea was nearly twice the national rate.
Any sexually active person in Douglas County is “at some level of risk,” Fisher says. But, he adds, “the single largest age group affected by STDs in Omaha is 15- to 19-year-olds.”
This problem is a focus for Dr. Adi Pour, the Douglas County health director. Recent statistics from her office tell a terrible story. Consider the incidence of chlamydia for 2008 (the most recent year for comparisons):
For Nebraska as a whole, it was 314 cases per 100,000 population. Nationally, it was 401. For Douglas County, it was 542.
Gonorrhea statistics tell the same story: In 2008, Douglas County had 181 cases per 100,000 population. The rate nationally was 111. For Nebraska as a whole, 82.
Particularly troubling is how early these diseases are striking a considerable portion of young teenagers. In 2009, some 35 percent of chlamydia infections and 26 percent of gonorrhea cases were diagnosed in teens aged 15 to 19.
The gonorrhea rate in Douglas County worsened slightly from 2008 to 2009, but the rate for chlamydia improved a bit.
In terms of response, the most direct answer lies with the teens and their parents or guardians. Churches and community organizations of all types can play a key role, Pour rightly notes.
All of these groups and individuals should be taking leadership roles in the attempt to identify young people who engage in risky sexual behavior. They should be encouraged to be tested and then treated if necessary.
Dr. Pour is right that people in those groups should find out how to talk to teens about sexuality and risky behavior. Young people require education on how to make the right decisions, the responsible choices that will keep them healthy.
Awareness, among the possible disease victims and the people who care for them, is the first tool in addressing this issue.
Helpful, too, is allowing young people who want testing and the free screening and testing that the county health department offers. A considerable number of local people are infected but aren’t asking for or receiving testing and treatment. The high STD rate could fall if the health department is better able to locate and help those people.
UNMC, with its new efforts on public health, can provide a good complement to the health department’s work on this vital issue. This epidemic stands at the forefront of public issues our community needs to tackle.
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