San Francisco official combats rising STD rate

Susan Philips, director of the San Francisco Health Department’s Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention and Control Services, hopes to reverse the city’s rising rates of chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea, according to the Bay Area Reporter.

Compared to 2009, the rate of syphilis transmission in San Francisco is 22 percent higher, the media outlet reports.
Likewise, chlamydia is up 14 percent and gonorrhea nearly 8 percent in the city.

Philips said much of the increase in syphilis has occurred in the gay male community but does not attribute the overall rise to any one source, such as increases in risky behavior.

She told the news outlet that her department is trying to reach at-risk populations through social media, adding that in the meantime the best tool for preventing the spread of STDs is getting tested at least twice each year.

Individuals who suspect they have contracted an STD may benefit from looking into online testing services. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions estimates that 19 million new STD cases occur each year in the U.S.