San Francisco is bucking two national STD trends, though that’s not necessarily a good thing.

San Francisco is bucking two national trends in sexually transmitted diseases, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

The national syphilis rate went up for the fourth consecutive year, according to a report released Nov. 8 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and despite San Francisco seeing a drop in syphilis infections from last year, the city still maintains the highest rate of individual infections in the country. Additionally, gonorrhea infections in San Francisco are up this year, particularly in adolescents and young adults.

“People in San Francisco are more out and open about their sexuality and tend to get tested often,” said Kamal Harb, an SF State health educator, which may explain some of the high numbers. “In my opinion they might also have more sexual partners and are much more outgoing.”

San Francisco reported 345 cases of primary and secondary syphilis last year, but this year infections are down more than 26 percent, according to an STD study performed by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
In 2004, San Francisco’s rate of infection per 100,000 population was 45.9, the highest number in the country, followed by Atlanta at 34.6, the CDC found.

From 2003 to 2004, the rate of primary and secondary syphilis infections nationwide increased 8 percent, largely due to increases among men who have sex with men. The syphilis rate among men went up almost 12 percent in the most recent yearly statistics, and has risen 81 percent since 2000.

Also in 2004, for the first time in over a decade, the national syphilis rate escalated in African Americans, increasing 16.9 percent, again predominantly among men.

Harb plans an African American health fair at SF State every school year, where everyone is welcome and STD screening is provided.

“We call it an African American health fair to put the spotlight on minority groups that are not treated equally in the health care system,” said Harb. “We want to bring exposure and thus create credibility among our minority groups on campus to make them come to the health center.”

The city of San Francisco offers convenient online-facilitated syphilis testing in order to make screening simple and easy.

Individuals can go to www.sfcityclinic.org where it is possible to print a personalized lab slip that can be used at any of seven LabCorp patient service centers in the city. Confidential test results are then available online in three to seven days.

The national gonorrhea rate dropped slightly from 2003 to 2004, marking the lowest infection rate on record.
Despite those numbers, San Francisco has experienced a considerable increase among heterosexuals, particularly in adolescents and young adults, according to the local report.

In year-to-date totals through the end of September, there have been 13.5 percent more gonorrhea infections in the city than last year. These higher infection rates are also being encountered in the rest of California, as well as Oregon and Washington.

“I think in San Francisco and elsewhere along the coasts, people are sick of hearing about safe sex and maybe that is creating a backlash,” said Harb, who also mentioned that young adults sometimes harbor a dangerous sense of invincibility.

“These young people just want to experiment, it’s almost like a right of passage sometimes. And when you hear about safe sex so much, sometimes your resolve might waver a little bit.”

A wide range of STD screening is available to SF State students through Student Health Services, including tests for chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital warts (women only), herpes, syphilis and HIV/ÅIDS.

Women are indirectly checked for genital warts through Pap smears.

The national syphilis rate went up for the fourth consecutive year, according to a report released Nov. 8 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and despite San Francisco seeing a drop in syphilis infections from last year, the city still maintains the highest rate of individual infections in the country. Additionally, gonorrhea
infections in San Francisco are up this year, particularly in adolescents and young adults.

“People in San Francisco are more out and open about their sexuality and tend to get tested often,” said Kamal
Harb, an SF State health educator, which may explain some of the high numbers. “In my opinion they might also have more sexual partners and are much more outgoing.”

San Francisco reported 345 cases of primary and secondary syphilis last year, but this year infections are down more than 26 percent, according to an STD study performed by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. In 2004, San Francisco’s rate of infection per 100,000 population was 45.9, the highest number in the country, followed by Atlanta at 34.6, the CDC found.

From 2003 to 2004, the rate of primary and secondary syphilis infections nationwide increased 8 percent, largely due to increases among men who have sex with men. The syphilis rate among men went up almost 12 percent in the most recent yearly statistics, and has risen 81 percent since 2000.

Also in 2004, for the first time in over a decade, the national syphilis rate escalated in African Americans, increasing 16.9 percent, again predominantly among men.

Harb plans an African American health fair at SF State every school year, where everyone is welcome and STD screening is provided.

“We call it an African American health fair to put the spotlight on minority groups that are not treated equally in the health care system,” said Harb. “We want to bring exposure and thus create credibility among our minority groups on campus to make them come to the health center.”

The city of San Francisco offers convenient online-facilitated syphilis testing in order to make screening simple and easy. Individuals can go to www.sfcityclinic.org where it is possible to print a personalized lab slip that can be used at any of seven LabCorp patient service centers in the city. Confidential test results are then available online in three to seven days.

The national gonorrhea rate dropped slightly from 2003 to 2004, marking the lowest infection rate on record. Despite those numbers, San Francisco has experienced a considerable increase among heterosexuals, particularly in adolescents and young adults, according to the local report. In year-to-date totals through the end of September, there have been 13.5 percent more gonorrhea infections in the city than last year. These higher infection rates are also being encountered in the rest of California, as well as Oregon and Washington.

“I think in San Francisco and elsewhere along the coasts, people are sick of hearing about safe sex and maybe that is creating a backlash,” said Harb, who also mentioned that young adults sometimes harbor a dangerous sense of invincibility. “These young people just want to experiment, it’s almost like a right of passage sometimes. And when you hear about safe sex so much, sometimes your resolve might waver a little bit.”

A wide range of STD screening is available to SF State students through Student Health Services, including tests for chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital warts (women only), herpes, syphilis and HIV/ÅIDS. Women are indirectly checked for genital warts through Pap smears.