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University of Pittsburgh Program Manager and Technical Writer

Newborn syphilis cases spike in US amid gaps in maternal screening, treatment

November 9, 2023 administrator Leave a comment

Syphilis infections passed from mothers to their newborns are at a 30-year high and have risen tenfold since 2012, and a fresh data analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that lack of timely testing and adequate treatment are the two biggest drivers and played a role in 90% of cases in 2022.

pregnant woman makeing the sign of a heart with her hands over her belly

The CDC detailed its findings today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report alongside a Vital Signs report designed to focus attention on the importance of identifying the infections, which can lead to miscarriages, stillbirths, and developmental disabilities.

Read the full article on the University of Minnesota website.

STIs, Teen Health, Women's health

U.S. health officials endorse common antibiotic as ‘morning-after pill’ to combat sexually transmitted infections

October 4, 2023 administrator Leave a comment

From PBS.org…

U.S. health officials plan to endorse a common antibiotic as a morning-after pill that gay and bisexual men can use to try to avoid some increasingly common sexually transmitted diseases.

The proposed CDC guideline was released Monday, and officials will move to finalize it after a 45-day public comment period. With STD rates rising to record levels, “more tools are desperately needed,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The proposal comes after studies found some people who took the antibiotic doxycycline within three days of unprotected sex were far less likely to get chlamydia, syphilis or gonorrhea compared with people who did not take the pills after sex.

Read the full article on PBS.org.

Women's health

6 Underlying Causes of the Maternal Health Crisis in the US

October 2, 2023 administrator Leave a comment

From Future of Personal Health…

The United States, despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, is currently facing a maternal health crisis. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. has steadily increased over the past two decades, with Black and Indigenous women being disproportionately affected. The reasons for this crisis are well-documented, and it is important to understand every dimension of this crisis to address it effectively. […]

illustration of four women who are pregnant

Read about the 6 underlying causes in the full article on Future of Personal Health online.

Health Alerts, HIV, HIV Care, HIV Prevention, Testing

National HIV testing day is June 27th

June 27, 2023 administrator Leave a comment

National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is observed each year on June 27 to highlight the importance of HIV testing. This year, we’re going beyond the test to emphasize the steps everyone can take once they know their HIV status. The NHTD theme for 2023 is “Take the Test & Take the Next Step.” This theme emphasizes that knowing your HIV status helps you choose options to stay healthy.

HIV testing, including self-testing, is the pathway to engaging people in care to keep them healthy, regardless of their test result. People who receive a negative test result can take advantage of HIV prevention tools such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), condoms, and other sexual health services such as vaccines and testing for sexually transmitted infections. People who receive a positive test result can rapidly start HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy, or ART) to stay healthy.

Vagina Dialogue: MDs Push to Promote Female Sexual Wellness and Pleasure

June 5, 2023 administrator Leave a comment

From Medscape ...

More than 4 in 10 premenopausal women worldwide experience sexual dysfunction, research shows. Yet nowhere near this number have access to or knowledge of specialists and solutions to navigate an issue that can be both physical and emotional. […]

Rachel Rubin, MD, a board-certified urologist, sexual medicine expert, and educator in the field, is informally called the “clitorologist.” Rubin has advocated for further education around the vulva and clitoris and urges providers to routinely examine them.

In a recent New York Times article, she argues that the organ is “completely ignored by pretty much everyone,” which is devastating to women’s sexual health. On social media, she has found a receptive audience.

Rubin says she chooses “whatever raises my blood pressure” to discuss on Twitter or Instagram. After her first tweet, she recalls, “I realized nobody stops me. I got really loud. The more I tweeted, the more I learned, lifting other people up and educating through love and awareness and consistent content over and over again. It snowballs.”

Read the full article.

Health Alerts, HIV, Testing, Women and HIV, Women's health, Women’s Sexuality

March 10th is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

March 10, 2023 administrator Leave a comment

March 10th is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Knowing your status is the best way to protect your health…and residents of Pennsylvania can get a free in-home HIV test kit from our website www.getmyHIVtest.com. Tests come in the mail, in an unmarked package and you get the results in 20 minutes!

banner for H I V women and girls awareness days with images of women of various races and ages

From HIV.gov…

The theme for NWGHAAD 2023 is: Prevention and Testing at Every Age. Care and Treatment at Every Stage. The Office Of Women’s Health (OWH) continues this theme to reemphasize the need to further prevention efforts and ensure equity in HIV care and treatment. It also reinforces the first 3 goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), that focus on the prevention of new HIV infections, improving HIV-related health outcomes of people living with HIV, and reducing HIV-related disparities. NWGHAAD focuses efforts on three of the target populations outlined in the NHAS; Black women, transgender women, and youth aged 13-24 years.

Find out more at HIV.gov.

Health Alerts, STDs, STIs, Women's health

Health Alert: PA Dept. of Health Urges Syphilis Testing Among Pregnant People as Newborn Infection Rates Soar

January 25, 2023 administrator Leave a comment

From WESA radio

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 36 cases of congenital syphilis have been reported so far in 2022; two-thirds of those cases were found in Philadelphia.

The total number is six times greater than that reported statewide between 2013 to 2017 and coincides with a rise in newborn syphilis rates over the last decade. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 2011 and 2020 the statewide syphilis rate for newborns rose from 3.3 cases per 100,000 live births to 10.4 cases.

“This is a condition that is alarming, that can cause miscarriages and fetal death, or lifelong issues for the child and is completely preventable,” said Pennsylvania Physician General Denise Johnson.

Read the full story on WESA.

Research, STIs, Women's health, Women’s Sexuality

Sexually transmitted infections higher among women with disabilities

December 19, 2022 administrator Leave a comment

In a study entitled “Sexually Transmitted Infections in Women of Reproductive Age by Disability Type,” researchers analyzed data from the 2015 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found that the incidents of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was more than twice as high for women of reproductive age who have cognitive disabilities, as compared to those without disabilities. The data analysis also showed that women with sensory disabilities also had higher rates of STIs.

The report, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM), also found “the odds of sexually transmitted infections varied by race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and substance use.”

Find out more on the AJPM website.

Health Alerts, STDs

Sexual Health Experts Say STDs Are ‘Out of Control’

September 22, 2022 administrator Leave a comment

From Prevention.com…

After being cooped up at home for a year-plus due to the pandemic, people’s ability to live at least semi-freely again has contributed to a spike in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that were already on the rise, sexual health experts say. On Monday, at a medical conference on STDs, David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, called the spike “out of control,” according to the Associated Press.

Experts said a rise in syphilis is particularly concerning, as a 26% increase was reported last year with a total of 171,074 cases, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For context, a total of 101,590 were reported in 2017. Cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs in babies delivered by people with the disease, were up to nearly 2,700 last year compared to 941 in 2017.

Read the full article.

To find local testing clinics go to https://gettested.cdc.gov/. Most are free!

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To find testing clinics near you (most are free) go to: gettested.cdc.gov.

Health Alerts, HIV Care, Stigma, Teen Health

Young people living with HIV face higher suicide risk

August 16, 2022 administrator Leave a comment

From poz.com…

Adolescents and young adults who acquired HIV at birth are more likely to attempt suicide than their HIV-negative peers, according to the first study dedicated to evaluating suicide risk among youth living with HIV. Those facing stigma and other hardships in life are even more likely to try to take their lives, researchers reported last week at the 24th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2022) in Montreal.

The unique circumstances for young people with HIV are part of a larger problem of youth suicide, which has ballooned in recent decades. Suicide is now the second most common killer of adolescents and young adults, claiming the lives of more than one in 10,000 each year.

Though suicide can affect anyone, certain experiences can heighten the risk. Among young people living with HIV, feeling stigma about their status can be associated with suicide attempts. Other hardships, like dealing with mental illness, pregnancy, a history of arrest, city stress and other negative life experiences are also associated with higher rates of suicide attempts in this group.

Read the full article on poz.com.