Last year, more than 100 babies were born with syphilis in Arizona, including nine who were stillborn. Syphilis is completely preventable through timely testing and treatment. Testing should take place three times during pregnancy – at the first prenatal care visit, early in the third trimester (around 28-32 weeks), and at delivery. In Arizona, there [...]
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) have surged for a fifth consecutive year, reaching an all-time high nationwide. What is most concerning is the rise in syphilis, which has led to multiple stillbirths and many more babies spending their first 10 days of their life hospitalized for syphilis treatment. Last year, Arizona reported 61 cases of syphilis [...]
Arizona is facing an outbreak of syphilis, with the biggest increase of cases in women and newborns. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has been working with partners on strategies to increase early detection and treatment, especially for pregnant women, to reduce the potentially devastating health effects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [...]
Our STD Control Program recently released the 2015 Arizona STD Annual Report. This report highlights the impact of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among residents of Arizona with specific focus on syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, the most commonly reported STDs. In 2015 cases of STDs in Arizona continued to increase. Cases grew from 39,919, in 2014, [...]
A new report from the CDC shows some good news for older adults in Arizona. According to the report, people in Arizona have a life expectancy of more than 20 years after the age of 65, with 15 of those years healthy. This places Arizona as one of the top states in the nation for [...]
This week, The Journal of Infectious Diseases published a study looking at the number of human papillomavirus infections in females before and after HPV vaccine was created (back in ’06). The study found impressive results: a 56% decrease in HPV since the vaccine was introduced in 2006 (among girls between 14-19 years old). This is a big deal [...]
Late last week we awarded two new community-based contracts for the new Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) funds: BJ Youth Foundation and Mariposa Community Health Center. PREP is the new federal program from the Affordable Care Act that requires programs educate adolescents on both abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. This [...]
Issues regarding the vaccine that prevents infection with the human papillomavirus (also called HPV) have been in the news lately- so I thought I’d do a thumbnail sketch on it this week. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Most people with HPV don’t have symptoms or health problems from it- and 90% of the time the [...]
Perhaps nothing in public is more controversial than the question of what is the best way to delay sexual activity in youth. Some say abstinence education is the best way. Some say it’s a more broad approach and boosting self esteem. Some say it’s keeping kids involved in sports and other activities. Some people say [...]
