During the pandemic, new infections of three common sexually transmitted diseases increased nationwide, and Louisiana remained one of the most prevalent states. New report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention..
Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases reached the highest level in Japan in 2020 for the sixth consecutive year. Authorities also speculate that 2021 will be even worse once the data are finalized.
At first glance, the CDC report seems to show that Louisiana has made some progress in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases. The state reports fewer cases of chlamydia and congenital syphilis between 2019 and 2020. Blockage and supply shortage-probably means that many cases were not detected.
“In the midst of a pandemic, no one was able to be tested,” said Patricia Kissinger, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Tulane. “Many of the clinics that were open and testing were in low supply.”
Louisiana was ranked second only to Mississippi in 2020 for both chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Chlamydia cases decreased from 775 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 to 709 the following year. However, cases of chlamydia are often asymptomatic in the early stages and will be discovered by screening in 2020, which is less frequent.
The number of gonorrhea cases increased from 274 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 to 333 in 2020.
Cases of syphilis in adults are stable, with approximately 15 cases per 100,000 reported in both 2019 and 2020, making Louisiana the 12th largest in the state. The number of reported cases of congenital syphilis, in which the disease is transmitted from mother to baby, has decreased slightly from 68 infants in 2019 to 63 in 2020.
Louisiana is consistently ranked among the top states in the country for sexually transmitted diseases. All sexually transmitted diseases reported are curable, but can cause permanent and serious health problems if left untreated.
Syphilis can cause paralysis, blindness, and dementia in adults. Newborns with this disease may be stillborn or suffer from malformations, mental retardation, and deafness. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause infertility and increase the risk of cancer.
“It’s very frustrating,” Kissinger said. “It’s like watching a train wreck. What can you do about it?”
According to Kissinger, the majority of treatable sexually transmitted diseases occur in teenagers and are attributed to Louisiana’s sex education law. There are no sex education requirements in the state, but abstinence should be emphasized when teaching abstinence.
“In places like New York and California where sex education is very good, we don’t know these rates,” Kissinger said.
At Crescent Care, a federal qualified health center with clinics in New Orleans and Houma, much of the outreach is focused on education and human testing, said Narquis Barak, head of prevention. .. The pandemic changed that, and even now, outreach for STD, HIV and hepatitis C testing is not where it once was.
“We do 600-700 HIV tests at venues such as bars, clubs and parks, so we decided not to do anything during the pandemic,” Barak said.
During the pandemic, HIV carry-on testing was reduced by 50%, Barak said. The health center tried to mail the STI kit, but he said the postal system had collapsed and frequent natural disasters made it difficult to reach people.
Then there were other health and social problems exacerbated by the wave after the wave of coronavirus infection.
“Many of them are related to mental health problems, low incomes, lack of access to transportation, and stigma,” Barak said. “All of this was somehow compounded during the pandemic.”
