Rise in STDs inspires sex-ed discussion

Reported U.S. cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis have increased for the first time since 2006, igniting, once again, conversation about the importance of comprehensive sex education.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last month, cases of chlamydia rose 2.8 percent from 2013 to 2014, bringing the national rate of infection to 456.1 cases per 100,000 people.

While less common, rates of syphilis and gonorrhea also have increased since 2013. Syphilis cases rose by 15.1 percent to 6.3 cases per 100,000 people; incidents of gonorrhea rose 5.1 percent to 110.7 cases per 100,000 people.

In Merced County, the rate of chlamydia was reported at 389 cases per 100,000 people, according to 2014 data from the California Department of Public Health. The rate is lower than the state average rate of 453.4 per 100,000.

Kern, San Francisco and Fresno counties have the highest rates in the state, according to data released this year by the state health department.

People ages 20 to 24 are affected the most. People in this age group, for example, account for 41 percent of all reported chlamydia cases in Merced County.

“The consequences of STDs are especially severe for young people,” said Gail Bolan, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, in a news release. “Because chlamydia and gonorrhea often have no symptoms, many infections go undiagnosed, and this can lead to lifelong repercussions for a woman’s reproductive health, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.”

Local health educators are hopeful a new state law, which will mandate comprehensive sex education in middle schools and high schools, will help lower the rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the Valley.

Desirre Herrera, regional program manager of education services for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, supervises education programs in the Central Valley from Kern County all the way north to San Joaquin County. A lack of medically accurate information, especially among younger people, is something she sees throughout the area.

“In Merced County, like in many Valley counties, we see a spike for a number of reasons, but a key issue is that people don’t get tested, and if they don’t get tested, they won’t know they are infected, and they won’t get treated,” she said.

Until recently, comprehensive sexual health education had not been mandated at schools. But this will change beginning Jan. 1.

The California Healthy Youth Act, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this year, updates instruction provided in schools to cover more than only HIV prevention. Comprehensive sexual health education, Herrera said, will include medically accurate information on STDs; options for protection, such as birth control and condoms; and clinical access, such as how to get tested and where.

The information also addresses abstinence, refusal skills and healthy relationships. The new law also requires the information to be LGBT inclusive.

The Central Valley, Herrera said, tends to be more conservative, and not all schools provide comprehensive sex education.

“This impacts the decisions teens and young adults make,” she said.

Herrera expects the new law to help lower STD rates and the rate of teen pregnancy in the Valley. But it will take some time to see results, she said.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Rise in STDs inspires sex-ed discussion."