Doctor raises concern about rise in STD’s

Iowa saw a record number of chlamydia cases last year, a statistic that is troubling to Dr. Sharon Bertroche.

“Nobody talks about it,” said Bertroche, a doctor at MercyCare in Marion. “Prior to 10 years ago, I never saw chlamydia. Now I see it regularly.”

Chlamydia, the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States, can damage women's reproductive organs and lead to infertility.

Because men and women may not have symptoms, the disease - easily treated with antibiotics - can go undetected.

Bertroche, a member of the Linn County Board of Health, brought up her concerns during a board meeting, where she noted Linn County's cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis surpassed 1,000 for the first time last year.

According to preliminary 2009 figures, Linn County has 767 chlamydia cases, 285 cases of gonorrhea and 5 syphilis cases.

Statewide, chlamydia numbers have risen fairly steadily in the last decade, with a record 9,352 cases reported in 2009.

Karen Thompson, STD prevention program manager for the Iowa Department of Public Health, said young adults ages 15 to 24 account for most chlamydia and gonorrhea cases.

African Americans, who account for just over 2 percent of Iowa's population, are disproportionately affected, representing more than 20 percent of chlamydia cases and about 48 percent of gonorrhea infections, she said.

Bertroche sees the personal stories behind the numbers and hears from students when she speaks during wellness classes at area schools.

One student said his friend was trying to have sex with as many girls as he could after being diagnosed with genital herpes.

A girl told her she was worried about missing her period after having a “three-way.”

Bertroche sees a need for better sex education in the schools, especially at the high school level.

“As a community, I don't think we're doing enough to educate our children about pregnancy prevention and STD prevention,” she said.

Curtis Dickson, director of Linn County Public Health, said Linn County has a clinic twice a week for people of any age who need to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

The department is also in the process of hiring a nurse practitioner, who would be able to see patients more frequently, he said.

Linn County is working on its five-year community health improvement plan.

Part of that plan, Dickson said, could include programs targeting sexually transmitted diseases if the community determines that is a priority.

In Johnson County, preliminary 2009 figures showed 553 chlamydia cases were reported, down from 636 in 2008.

Those have gone up, though, from 2005, when just 468 cases were reported.

Johnson County's numbers include those from the University of Iowa.

Chlamydia cases reported in Iowa

Year Cases

2000 - 5,894

2001 - 5,716

2002 - 6,236

2003 - 6,462

2004 - 6,958

2005 - 7,390

2006 - 8,393

2007 - 8,643

2008 - 9,247

2009 - 9,352*

* Numbers for 2009 are preliminary.

Source: Iowa Department of Public Health