“Protect Your Parts” to Raise Awareness about Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Dec 01, 2015
Protect Your Parts. That is the message from the Sioux Falls Health Department related to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), which are health concerns in the community.
The terms STDs and STIs are often used interchangeably, according to Dr. Jennifer Tinguely, Chief Medical Officer for Falls Community Health, although there is a difference.
“The term STI is broader and more encompassing because some infections are curable and may not cause any symptoms,” she said. “If the infection results in altering the typical function of the body, it is then called a disease. However, the important thing is that we talk about it. Certainly, it is a sensitive topic, but it warrants the community’s attention.”
To increase awareness about STD and HIV screening, especially among young adults, the department chose the “Protect Your Parts” theme to get people’s attention. The announcement came at a news conference today, which is also World AIDs Day, an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage people to rethink outdated stereotypes, challenge myths, and create a movement around education and positive action. The Protect Your Parts website, protectyourparts.org, is the first public health website dedicated to locating HIV and STD resources for individuals within this region. Website visitors are able to see all the STD and HIV testing options within the area, locations to obtain free condoms, and more.
“Sexually transmitted diseases affect people of all ages, but we see our biggest case numbers in those ages 15 to 24, both in South Dakota and in the nation,” Tinguely said. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that age group accounts for half of the 20 million new sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. each year, even though it makes up just a quarter of the sexually active population.”
In Sioux Falls, approximately 54 percent of STD cases are individuals between 20–29 years of age.
“A number of factors put younger people at risk,” said Vanessa Sweeney, Clinic Services Manager for Falls Community Health, “including not getting screened or having limited access to screenings, concerns about confidentiality, thinking they are not at risk, having multiple partners, and even social media and the Internet, which have made it easier for people to find anonymous sex partners.”
Part of the problem, Sweeney said, is that STDs are easy to spread yet hard to detect.
“Many young people may not even know they have been infected because STDs don’t always have immediate symptoms. However, by not getting screened, people are at risk for serious health problems, such as HIV, cervical cancer, or infertility,” said Sweeney.
The fact that STDs continue to be a public health issue may indicate traditional methods of communicating about sexual health aren’t reaching every generation, adds Sweeney. That is why the program developed the “Protect Your Parts” campaign, which includes a website with an online quiz about STD and HIV risk, and interactive maps showing clinical screening sites in eastern South Dakota and a condom distribution map in Sioux Falls.
“This website was designed with the end user in mind. If someone has a question about where to get tested or how to protect themselves, we want them to be able to access all that information easily and within one site,” said Sweeney.
Falls Community Health provides primary health care services and is a resource for people in the community looking for more information about STDs and screening. The clinic also offers free rapid HIV testing on Mondays from 3–7 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the downtown location. During these times, clinic staff are able to screen for risk of STDs and, if appropriate, also provide free STD testing.
“We are excited to announce that in partnership with the South Dakota Department of Health, we are expanding our HIV clinic to a STD clinic,” said Tinguely. “We will be able to offer free gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis testing, if indicated, during the HIV/STD clinic walk-in hours.”
The Sioux Falls Health Department will be tracking STD rates and working with community partners, said Tinguely, especially in light of statistics such as the rate of contracting gonorrhea in Minnehaha County tripling since 2011.
In Minnehaha County, 257 cases of gonorrhea were diagnosed in 2014, but based on the first nine months of this year, the number of cases in 2015 is on track to be even higher. The rates include a nearly equal number of male and female cases, but the concerning figure is the number of young people impacted by STIs and STDs.
“We want to increase awareness about STDs among residents, employers, and health care workers to ensure people understand the importance of how and where to get screened and what they can do to protect themselves,” said Sweeney.
Individuals interested in STD testing should follow up with their primary care provider. Those who do not have a primary care provider can access the free rapid HIV clinic at Falls Community Health and can also receive STD testing on a sliding fee scale according to income.
For more information about Falls Community Health services, visit www.siouxfalls.org/fch or call 605-367-8793.
