Sexual infection rate is high in region
Does Rock County have a sexual health problem?
"As a matter of fact, we do," Health Officer Karen Cain said.
Rock County had at least 603 reportable cases of sexually transmitted infections in 2009—491 of chlamydia and 112 of gonorrhea.
Rock County follows a statewide trend of growing numbers of reported STIs. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the state's top STIs, with the younger crowd—15 to 24-year-olds—reporting the highest number of cases.
"I think there is a huge problem with sexually transmitted diseases," said Cheryl Mazmanian, Western Racine County health officer. "There is an awful lot of chlamydia being passed around in young teenagers. You can see that the numbers are very high."
Walworth County Health Officer Pat Grove said numbers there have been average. Still, there is a growing trend.
In Walworth County, 222 cases of STIs were reported in 2009, of which 202 were chlamydia and 20 were gonorrhea. Just for chlamydia, the 2009 numbers are 61 higher than in 2008, 57 higher than in 2007 and 77 higher than in 2006.
The reported cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea in 2009 are second only to H1N1, which had about 327 reported cases in Walworth County.
"There is certainly more that needs to be done because we continue to have such a high STI rate," Rock County's Cain said. "There is a lot of education that needs to be done."
Education seems to be the key word for most health officers in Wisconsin's southeastern corner. Treating cases as they come is the band-aid solution. So health departments turn to teaching children about safe sex.
In Racine County, a health official trained on sexual health issues routinely visits schools to talk about safe sex practices and STIs.
Getting the program started in Racine County was a challenge, Mazmanian said. School officials weren't trusting at first, unsure the health department would avoid preaching "things they didn't want us to preach."
Once the program was implemented, part of the problem in Racine became evident.
"Kids are really lacking knowledge prior to the class being presented," said Mazmanian, whose county had about 878 cases of chlamydia in 2006, according to an annual report by the UW Population Health Institute.
School-aged children take evaluations tests before and after the sex education classes. Often, the test reveals children don't know enough about safe sexual practices, including condom use.
Jefferson County has a similar program.
"Our staff provide prevention education, and they try to get into the schools and they do have a specific program that they use that they've developed over many, many years," Health Officer Gail Scott said. "The schools are very receptive of our staff coming in and talking about STIs and other communicable diseases."
STIs have always been a concern in Jefferson County, Scott said, "and that's why we try to get into the schools and get some early education and prevention activities."
"I think all health departments are working on trying to decrease the number," she added.
Perhaps most health departments, but not all. Health Officer Pat Grove of Walworth County said the department has no contract with schools for early sexual health education, and there is no countywide formal outreach program.
Most efforts there are concentrated on diagnosis and treatment, the latter being contracted out to the local Planned Parenthood office.
Rock County also has no formal program. Cain said her department's nurses guest-speak on the subject when schools ask and the health officials also attend health fairs, neither of which are done routinely.
"That's, right now, the extent of what we do for sexual health," she added.
What are the most common reportable sexually transmitted infections?
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial STI in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can damage a woman's reproductive organs, which can cause infertility. In men, chlamydia can cause discharge from the penis.
In 2006, more than 1 million cases were reported to the CDC nationwide. And it is estimated that there are nearly 2.3 million Americans between the ages of 14 and 39 infected with chlamydia, according to the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the opening to the womb, womb and egg canals in women, and in the urine canal in women and men. The bacterium can also grow in the mouth, throat, eyes and anus.
If passed during childbirth, gonorrhea can cause blindness and death to the infant.
The CDC estimates that more than 700,000 people in the U.S. get new gonorrheal infections each year, and only about half of these infections are reported to the centers.
Apr 16, 2010 at 5:35 p.m.
Suggest removal
truth1- a dime??? I was told an asperin ! )
Mar 25, 2010 at 10:10 a.m.
Suggest removal
"The urine canal"?
lmao
Mar 24, 2010 at 9:22 p.m.
Suggest removal
OH Dale...(SIGH) When you post your opinions on an internet blog for everyone to read, it actually does make it my business and everyone else who reads it. You make it a point to share your prejudice opinions. And to say you find it hard to believe a man would knowingly pass on a disease, is a joke. There are actually numerous people (both men and women) who spread diseases on purpose, including HIV. In their sick minds they find it amusing or simply don't care. And if these men would simply put a condom on, they wouldn't get or spread a disease, now would they? So tell me again whose fault it is? Male condoms are the best way (other than abstinence) to prevent the spread of STDs. Female condoms have a 26% failure rate in preventing pregnancy and disease. So obviously that should not be the choice of protection. A recent study on men ages 20-39 in the US showed that 23% have had 20 or more partners in their lifetimes, yet only 25% say they used a condom in the past four weeks. But it's all the women's fault, right? Oh and I wouldn't worry about your kids being factory workers, there aren't any factory jobs left, remember?
Mar 24, 2010 at 3:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
Promiscuity isn't just immoral, it's dangerous though many people refute it's immorality and won't acknowledge the danger which is why we have this problem. And as Come_on_people has shown us, the irresponsible risk takers risk the health and wellbeing of people who don't even know and therefore don't have a choice about the risks being taken for them.
Safe-sex and promiscuity are a contradiction in terms. After all, condoms only reduce, not eliminate the risk of getting a STD. And since the promiscuous are irresponsible, it's unrealistic that any amount of safe-sex training will have much, if any effect.
We need to implore people to be responsible and to train the young to be responsible too, instilling a renewed appreciation for morality. Though the likelihood of that in our self-indulgent culture is remote since to some, humans are just animals and promiscuity is just animalistic urges being unpreventably appeased. And of course in their view, morality is just for the superstitious and the self-righteous who are just trying to make people feel guilty for having fun.
Mar 24, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
For the record, it took less than a year for this damage to be done to me and I have had annual check ups since before this happened to me.
I'm done posting on this story...except to say it stuns me how ignorant some of you people are. Thank goodness not everyone is....
Mar 24, 2010 at 10:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
Pondering, I do not just go by the Gazette. And for your info., my kids are grown. Wikipedia is a site for no-minds and you know it! So lay off!
Mar 24, 2010 at 8:54 a.m.
Suggest removal
Now if we could just the Govt to wear protection as they are scr*wing us. Ha Ha
Mar 24, 2010 at 2:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
@justme46, and if you rely strictly on the Gazette foe your information, you must truely be ignorant or oblivious to the fact that the news is slanted only to better advertise the reporters own personal views. ***As for the whole sex talk with your kids. How many of you parents have had an actual talk about SEX with your kids. Penetration explaination, the risks and facts about STDs, pregnancy, the toll any and all of it has on the younger bodies and minds... Heck. How many of you have bought condoms for your 13 & 14 year old kids? Or are you all still living in lala land where no one has sex til they're 18? People please don't just talk about it, be about it! (By the way literature police, my spelling and grammer suck, but you'll be ok...)
Mar 23, 2010 at 6:02 p.m.
Suggest removal
Dale...What is your deal? Did your mother not love you enough? You treat women as though they are a lower species than your own mighty self. What happened to YOUR values and morals? Last I checked good morals and values didn't include insulting people and hoping the death of an entire city (earlier post from a different topic when you wanted Janesville and everyone in it to burn to the ground). Why is it only the women's fault in your opinion? It takes two to tango. Women get it from men and vice versa. Why do you not think that men should keep it thier pants too? They spread disease just as easily as women. And waiting until marriage is not going to solve anything because not all married people stay faithful to their partners. I can only hope that you were smart enough to use protection, if you have ever had sex, because we definitely do not need any of your offspring contaminating the gene pool.
Mar 23, 2010 at 4:26 p.m.
Suggest removal
Not to pick on anyone in particular, but, "As a young woman I had been in what I thought was a monogomous relationship for three years...". "Ladies," I hate to break this to y'all, but sadly there are no "monotonous" relationships from the perspective of men--have not been for eons (even before "Frankie & Johnnie" met each other at the Marine Corps League Hip-Hop night!). Plan accordingly!
Mar 23, 2010 at 4:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
mespl....that was my point. we all need to take responsibility. i was merely stating why women didn't because that was the question that was asked.
Mar 23, 2010 at 4:01 p.m.
Suggest removal
Dear Guardian - Just having fun with you - I was duh starRR of dat movie...lol :-)
Mar 23, 2010 at 3:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
Yada, your right. Using a projected number may be considered fiction. Here are numbers that are not fictional or projected.
>
I will have to change my rant to "The world population has nearly quadrupled, (383%) in only 100 years".
World population 1910: 1.75 billion
World population 1950: 2.5 billion
World population 2010: 6.7 billion
Mar 23, 2010 at 2:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
If you rely on wikapedia for your info, I feel sorry for you and you need to grow up. These diseases have been around for a long, long time, it is about time they are brought up and educated to the public. It is important to educate our children about these and sex. It is the parents duty first, then if the parent agrees, taught in school. They can spell "infertility" and that is very sad. kidd, that was one in a million!!! JMO
Mar 23, 2010 at 2:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
thekid & truth1 - Hee hee hee! Those comments were funny.
Mar 23, 2010 at 2:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
LOL @ The Kid..Fabulous!!
Mar 23, 2010 at 2 p.m.
Suggest removal
Education = prevention. Parents, no matter what the Bible says or what your Pastor says, your kids are most likely (not all, but most) have sex before they're married. The best thing you can do is get over your hangups with sex and teach your kids how to be safe and responsible. Just because you don't talk about it or tell them "keep it in your pants" doesn't mean they aren't going to get curious and experiment or find themselves in a situation they aren't prepared for and do the wrong thing because of lack of knowledge. Folks, let's do the right thing and encourage children and teens to wait until marriage to have sex, but also prepare them to be safe, informed, and responsible if they find themselves in a situation where they may decide to have sex. Many, probably most, teens have sex for the wrong reason, but they do have sex, and they need to be properly educated for that.
Mar 23, 2010 at 1:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
kscmomof2: You asked “why do men fail to go and get tested?!” That would be due to the same reasons why women fail to go and get tested, “due lack of insurance and knowledge of resources”. I apologize but I had to point that one out. Like you said it is both parties responsibility.
Mar 23, 2010 at 12:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
dalegribble-women fail to have regular check ups to due lack of insurance and knowledge of resources. why do men fail to go and get tested?! it is the responsibility of both parties choosing to participate in the act of intercourse not just the woman.
Mar 23, 2010 at 12:18 p.m.
Suggest removal
Come_On_People - Ignore the ignorant.....good advice my daddy gave me years ago. Very sorry for your situation, but it is a good warning for others.
---
As for the rest of us - why are we surprised? Every where we turn we are bombarded with messaged about sexuality and the joy of free sex. It is just another bodily function - like eating - after all. We have told our young people we don't expect them to control their sexuality, but instruct them on how to express it "safely". Thus: our consequence. Monogamy within a married relationship is the only real solution. I always hear "that's not realistic" as a response, but it always has been for me. We reap what we sow.
Mar 23, 2010 at 11:55 a.m.
Suggest removal
Excuse me dalegribble...as a young woman I had been in what I thought was a monogomous relationship for three years to find out I wasn't. Gonorrhea, more often than not, doesn't show symptoms in women until the damage is done. By the time I found out, I had had surgery to remove half my reproductive organs, and so much scar tissue I couldn't have any children. Three and a half years later I had to have a complete hysterectomy because of the damage this 'curable' std did to me. So you want to talk about women keeping their legs shut and not switching partners? This man had been the only one I had ever been with and I believed him when he said he was only with me. Quit putting all women in one category. You have no idea what you're talking about!!
And for all of you making jokes...this is anything but funny. Teenagers and young people are trusting and they don't have the facts and can be quite naive or just think it can't happen to them. Finding out at 21 that you are infertile is devestating.
Mar 23, 2010 at 11:31 a.m.
Suggest removal
In case you need more.
http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/mammal....
Mar 23, 2010 at 11:30 a.m.
Suggest removal
truth1-Maybe this is simple enough for you.
http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/welcome...
Mar 23, 2010 at 10:37 a.m.
Suggest removal
hahaha......"wikipedia".......LOL
Mar 23, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.
Suggest removal
Birth control,or"protection", as it were, is very cheap, in fact its just a dime......its used by holding it between the knees.
Mar 23, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.
Suggest removal
Chlamydia is curable. Untreated chlamydia can lead to long term effects, but the infection itself is curable. If one is mature enough to make the decision to have intercourse, then one should be mature enough to use protection and have regular testing. Condoms break and are not 100% effective, so get checked when you have a partner change! Chlamydia and gonorrhea can be tested for via urine sample. No pain anymore, gentlemen, just pee in a cup. If you do test positive, you CONFIDENTIALLY tell the Health Department the names of people you have slept with since last testing that you may have gotten the infection from. When people are not honest with the health departments, the infection continues to spread, and yes, majority of people with chlamydia have no symptoms. Think about this....these are 2 reportable (it is mandatory for health care providers to report them)STI's. These are up in number as well as the nonreportable STI's including trichomonas, herpes, hpv....which some of which are NOT curable and also may have long term effects. SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO? Blogging is not the answer. We need to push the school districts to allow health care professionals in to educate our children. We need to educate ourselves and our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and their friends if that's what it takes! Let them at least know where they can go for reproductive health care if you are not comfortable talking about it. Let them know you may not be happy about the decisions that they are making but that you would like their decisions to be informed ones. Or just show them the article and the comments!
Mar 23, 2010 at 9:37 a.m.
Mar 23, 2010 at 9:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
Pedro needs to be a little less squeamish and relay the medical information necessary for the readership to avoid these diseases. When we talk "safe sex practices" do we mean the use of condoms? A simple sentence that discusses the scientific way that the diseases are spread is necessary given the story.
Mar 23, 2010 at 7:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
Dear GUARDIANS-OF-duh-PLANET - After reading your post and rhetorically thinking about your final question - sOmETHiNg 4 you to CoNSiDer - Fiction writing is FUN because you get to make up almost anything.
Mar 23, 2010 at 6:17 a.m.
Suggest removal
STD's are not the only issue we are facing.
>
Unlike any other organism on the planet, the majority of human reproduction is being done by the people that can least support it.
>
Like the movie "Idiocrasy", the stupid will overpopulate the earth, and ultimately no one will know how anything works.
>
The world population has TRIPLED in just 90 years, and there are BIG problems ahead for all of us.
>
World population 1950: 2.5 billion
>
World population present: 6.7 billion
>
World population 2050 projected: 9.1 billion
>
How DENSE can we get?
Mar 23, 2010 at 12:33 a.m.
Suggest removal
To all those who are still confused on weather humans are mammals or not, go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human and scroll down till you find the classification and click on where it says Mammalia... Hmm. Humans are mammals. Who would've thought that? LOL And hey, if you get really bored, look up Chlamydia on Wiki... Animals DO get it too... Now that the idiot has hopefully helped clarify some things, I'm going to bed! Happy info hunting
Mar 22, 2010 at 10:49 p.m.
Suggest removal
truth-
do you know what you are talking about??? Humans are mammals. That is a fact, plain and simple.
Farm animals do get infections and diseases from sexual activity. But many farmers use artificial insemination, or they use 1 healthy male to breed all the females on that farm. Its not like they are going from place to place "doing" all the females in the county. It is a controlled situation, and completely different from the mammal we call humans.
Mar 22, 2010 at 10:43 p.m.
Suggest removal
Chlamydia infection is a disease caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis in humans. Other strains of this bacterium can infect animals and cause disease.
Mar 22, 2010 at 10:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
inconvenienttruth- You're one of those people that have been educated well beyond your intelligence aren't you?
Mar 22, 2010 at 10:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
Wow, the article actually DOES call chlamydia merely an "infection".....good grief...
Mar 22, 2010 at 10:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
Really, an accidentally typed "a" seems to be the least of your posted worries...
Mar 22, 2010 at 10:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
not "a" chlamydia, delete the "a"
Mar 22, 2010 at 10:11 p.m.
Suggest removal
Yeah, hearing someone talk about a chlamydia as if it were just an "infection" would make quite the conversation wouldn't it...LOL
Mar 22, 2010 at 10:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
Reading these comments, I can honestly feel myself losing IQ points!!!!
Mar 22, 2010 at 9:51 p.m.
Suggest removal
Dale....actually it is state mandated that these diseases are tracked. So that it is not wide spread. If someone is infected with one of these diseases they are suppose to contact anyone they had sex with to let them know they need to be treated. If they won't contact them, the county will do it for them. That is if the people are decent enough to share the names with their doctor. It is done to prevent the spread of a very contagious STD, which if left untreated can leave a woman infertile. Or even better can cause blindness or death of an infant. I like how you compare this to a simple ear infection. Last I knew you can't become infertile from an ear infection. Chlamydia is the worst, because it usually shows no symptoms in women. Oh, by the way I know this because I am currently going to school to go into the medical field. Not because I've had one.
Mar 22, 2010 at 9:44 p.m.
Suggest removal
No truth1 is right. I have many poisonous fins....
For the record, there are veterinary venereal diseases.
Mar 22, 2010 at 9:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
Is truth1 just really bored and messing with us, or honestly ignorant? I can't tell...
Mar 22, 2010 at 8:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
No, humans are not "mammals" or "animals"...Farm animals have been used over many years to do an immense amount of breeding with many many different "partners" and they don't develop these diseases from it like a human would.
Mar 22, 2010 at 8:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
truth-
Humans are mammals.
And there is currently a HUGE problem in cats with two different "STDs": Feline Leukemia and FIV,both of which are not curable. There are many other diseases and infections that are transmitted sexually in the animal world. You just may not hear about them because responsible pet owners spay or neuter their animals, and wild animals are not treated for their diseases.
Mar 22, 2010 at 8:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
Do I recall that Beloit doesn't teach sex ed because it doesn't want to corrupt it's youngsters? Ha ha ha....
Mar 22, 2010 at 7:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
dalegribble- No, we are actually NOT "animals" or "mammals".....I don't know of too many dogs or cats that get incurable VD, there may be some but you won't see much of it....Humans get it EASILY....Now, see the difference?
Mar 22, 2010 at 7:48 p.m.
Suggest removal
Several antibiotics can successfully cure gonorrhea in adolescents and adults. However, drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea are increasing in many areas of the world, including the United States, and successful treatment of gonorrhea is becoming more difficult.
http://www.cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/stdfact...
.
If untreated, chlamydial infections can progress to serious reproductive and other health problems with both short-term and long-term consequences. Like the disease itself, the damage that chlamydia causes is often "silent."
http://www.cdc.gov/std/Chlamydia/STDFact...
Mar 22, 2010 at 7:45 p.m.
Suggest removal
When I was a kid all boys had to go to old Marshall with their fathers and watch a movie on VD. The U.S Army movie was showing advanced cases and how they treated the disease. My parents NEVER talked to me about the birds and bees, after that movie they didn't have too, I was too afraid to have sex. Then they made me swim naked at Marshall and Craig.
Mar 22, 2010 at 7:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
"infections"???....lets try to use the right word.......its "diseases".. and humans get them by acting like stray dogs.....You don't get rid of most sexual DISEASES like you do a typical "infection"......Spinmeisters at it again.
Mar 22, 2010 at 6:42 p.m.
Suggest removal
Wow, love is in the air.
Mar 22, 2010 at 5:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
These diseases have been around forEVER! One would think people would have figured out that safe sex is the way to go. This business of "friends with benefits" is just "stirring" that pot, literally!
Yewwwww............
Mar 22, 2010 at 4:53 p.m.
Suggest removal
Obviously the people in rock county are too hot to handle!!! HAHAHAHA LOL
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.