Free STD Testing in Greenville, NC

Statistics recently released by the CDC and Pitt County Health Department are showing an alarming trend. The number of STD reported annually is rising, and have been for the past twenty years.

In February of 2016, the North Carolina health department stated rates for the county had reached their highest levels in 3 years.

Not only are Chlamydia and Gonorrhea rates rising, but those for Syphilis as well. This is particularly worrisome for  officials that mistakenly believed that this sexually transmitted disease was well under control.

Syphilis rates are not only rising in teens and young adults, older residents are also testing positive more frequently. This also applies to African American males, especially those in ages 22 to 32. Men are also at a higher risk for Gonorrhea, those these rates are climbing for women as well.

Chlamydia infections are rising in women, and in 2014 the county ranked the fourth highest in the state. The majority of new cases are occurring in teens, and this is also true regarding the Gonorrhea rate for men.

• In 2014 the county ranked fourth highest in the state for its high Chlamydia rate.
• The county and city had the third highest Syphilis rate in the state at 17.2 per 100,000 residents.
• Since 2010 HIV cases increased by 31%.

Since the passage of the healthy youth act in 2009 most teens do receive at least some information on STDs and how to prevent these diseases, but that might soon change. A new bill is once again calling for changes in the state’s current sex education program.

Currently the material used in these classes must be presented by qualified personnel. Whether or not a person is qualified is determined by the “narrow” guidelines that are already in place, and this is what the new bill seeks to change if it is passed.

Loosening up the requirements would allow almost anyone to introduce material to students, and this means that teens might receive incomplete or inaccurate information when it comes to protecting themselves against STDs.

Already the public schools are allowed to decide if sex education classes will be offered. While they are required by federal law to provide comprehensive information on HIV/AIDS prevention, the same is not true regarding the other STDs.

If the new bill does pass the number of students who do receive accurate information will further decrease.

If all students learned how important Herpes testing in Greenville is, most health experts agree that the infection rates for this virus would begin to decrease. The same is also true regarding HIV testing in Greenville.

Even though this isn’t the largest city in the state the STD rates are still higher than average. There is not one single reason for this instead there are several contributing factors.

One reason health officials are citing is the lack of health centers. This is making it difficult for residents to get tested on a regular basis. Residents often find they are having to spend all day at the STI clinic, and for most this is simply not possible.

Cuts to health programs are another problem. Not only has this forced many of the community testing centers to close, it is also affecting some residents’ ability to pay. Now that Medicaid no longer covers the cost of regular STD testing, many residents on a fixed income are finding that they can’t pay the fees.

With STD rates rising in the city it is important for you to take care of your sexual health. This means getting tested on a regular basis. Same day anonymous testing is available, sometimes on the weekends. No insurance needs to be used, and you can get your results privately.