|
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) not only indicate the need for short-term education, screening and treatment services, but because untreated STDs can lead to serious medical problems such as infertility and increased risk of certain cancers, addressing STDs early can have a significant long-term health impact.
Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STD, both nationally and locally. and gonorrhea is the second most common. An estimated 2.8 million Americans are infected with chlamydia each year, and the cost of care for untreated chlamydia infections and their complications is estimated to exceed $2 billion annually. In 2005, nearly 40,000 chlamydia cases were reported in NYC.
Chlamydia is especially widespread among adolescents. In 2005 almost half of all NYC cases were among young women under the age of 25. Most chlamydia infections have no symptoms at all; therefore national guidelines recommend chlamydia screening for high risk groups, such as adolescents. Despite such recommendations, the majority of adolescents in NYC are not tested for chlamydia. Since sensitive non-invasive urine-based screening tests have become available, chlamydia and gonorrhea screening has become much easier to conduct in non-traditional settings, such as schools.
A grant through the Fund for Public Health in New York (FPHNY) allowed the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to pilot a school-based education, screening and treatment program in 5 NYC public high schools. During the course of the pilot project, 1,798 students were educated, 1,066 (59%) were screened, 55 (5.2%) were diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea, and 53 (96%) of the students who tested positive received treatment. Based on the successful testing of this approach, the NYC Health Department has expanded this program and in the 2006-2007 school year the program reached 44 schools, with almost nine thousand students educated and over four thousand students tested. Nearly 5% of the students tested positive, and 95% of those who tested positive were treated.
|
|
|
