When Don Hunt started surveillance of sexually
transmitted diseases for the Sangamon County Department of Public Health in
1995, his primary concerns were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and
syphilis.
Since other local organizations stepped in to help
fight against HIV, and the health department’s 10-year plan nearly
eliminated syphilis, Hunt now battles an arguably more dominant sexual
health scare. “Gonorrhea and chlamydia have covered all that ground
and more,” he says.
Sangamon County ranks among the top five Illinois
counties for combined outbreaks of gonorrhea and chlamydia, two of the most
common sexually transmitted diseases.
According to the Illinois Department of Public
Health’s July surveillance update, 324 cases of gonorrhea and 639
cases of chlamydia were reported to the county between January 1 and July
31, compared to 316 cases of gonorrhea and 592 cases of chlamydia reported
during the same period in 2007.
What’s even more disturbing is that 15- to
19-year-olds face the greatest risk of becoming infected. IDPH figures show
that nearly 36 percent of statewide patients infected with gonorrhea and 40
percent of those infected with chlamydia fall into this population.
Hunt argues that teenage sex, which, he says, stems
from a sexually explicit culture paired with an “it can’t
happen to me” mindset, is not going to go away. He’s seen
patients as young as 12 years old — the minimum age for seeking
treatment without parental consent — tested for STDs at the health
department’s clinic.
“They’re having sex,” Hunt says.
“We don’t want to admit it — schools, parents — but
they’re doing it.”
The good news, he adds, is that more reported cases
means that more people are seeking treatment. They’ve taken advantage
of the walk-in clinics at community organizations, the county jail, and the
University of Illinois-Springfield. And they assist Hunt and his team in
testing and treating their partners.
The health department becomes more aggressive when
people aren’t as cooperative. Staff members knock on doors, send
letters, and make phone calls, Hunt says, “as fast as we can to get
to them and prevent the further spread of it, so the disease stops with
them.”
Hunt says more prevention and education are needed.
Teenagers should know that gonorrhea and chlamydia don’t always show
symptoms, but can cause damage to reproductive organs, even sterility if
left untreated.
School District 186 has taken a first step in
transitioning from an “abstinence-only” sex education program
to an “abstinence-based” program for its high schoolers.
Meanwhile the health department is working on a program to address teenage
behavior using the advice of local teenagers.
“This thing is beatable,” Hunt says.
“We just have to come together as a community and figure out how to
beat it.”
Hunt recommends that anyone not in a monogamous
relationship be tested for STDs every three months. Services are offered at
the health department’s downtown location, 1415 E. Jefferson St.,
from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, and
1 to 3 p.m. Thursday.
Contact Amanda Robert at arobert@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2008.
