AEGiS-BAR: April declared STD Awareness Month

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

April declared STD Awareness Month

The Bay Area Reporter - Friday, April 9, 1999
Mark Norby

Responding to recent public health reports indicating that sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) lead to increased risk of HIV infection, Supervisor Leslie Katz introduced a resolution at the a meeting of the Board of Supervisors Monday, April 5 declaring April STD Awareness Month for the City and County of San Francisco. Katz was joined by Department of Public Health (DPH) Director of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention and Control Services Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, in unveiling public service posters addressing STD awareness as well as the new school screening program, an in-school STD testing program for all San Francisco high school students.

Last summer the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report stating that STDs increase the risk for HIV infection by at least two to five times. The report strongly advocated that early detection and treatment of curable STDs should be widely implemented as an HIV prevention strategy. The report also recommended that all sexually active males and females should be screened annually, a recommendation that has become more feasible with the availability of urine-based diagnostic testing.

"I am deeply committed to improving the health of San Franciscans," Katz stated at the board meeting, "and addressing the problems of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection is a huge part of that. New testing procedures will make the screening process much easier and more readily available."

In a Wednesday, April 6 interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Katz stated in more specific terms that genital and anal gonorrhea increase the risk of HIV infection, as does venereal disease and genital herpes. "It is these lesser viruses," commented Katz, "that give an opportunity for HIV to present itself during sexual intercourse, whereby infecting the individual."

Echoing Katz's words, Klausner stated that "to make STD screening easier, the San Francisco Department of Public Health has made the new urine STD tests available at all community health centers including [the public] City Clinic on 7th Street, and at hospitals and selected schools. Because persons can be infected and have no symptoms, it is important for sexually active persons to get tested for these easily treatable infections," Klausner said.
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Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1999. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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