Linn County offering free STI testing

CEDAR RAPIDS - In an effort to reduce Linn County's high sexually transmitted infection rate, the health department will offer free testing throughout April.

The free chlamydia, gonorrhea and rapid HIV testing will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at Linn County Public Health, 501 13th St. NW in Cedar Rapids.

A 2014 report put out by the county health department showed that STIs account for the greatest proportion of infectious diseases in Linn County.

In 2012, Linn County's syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea rates were 579 cases per 100,000 residents - much higher than the state rate of 435.2 cases per 100,000, the report found.

Additionally, there were 986 cases of chlamydia and 230 cases of gonorrhea in Linn County that year.

State data from the Iowa Department of Public Health show that new cases fell slightly between 2012 and 2013 - with 954 chlamydia cases and 125 gonorrhea cases in Linn County.

Even still, this was significantly higher than the state rates for those diseases. In 2013, Linn County had a rate of 452 chlamydia cases per 100,000 compared with the state rate of 361 per 100,000. The county's gonorrhea rate was 59 per 100,000 compared with the state's 48 per 100,000.

Teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 have significantly higher rates of STIs than those in older age groups.

Statewide, that age group accounted for 7,560 of the 11,006 chlamydia cases - or 68 percent - and 808 of the 1,471 gonorrhea cases - or 54 percent - in 2013, according to the state health department.

Linn County wants to reverse those trends, setting a goal to reduce the number of teenagers and young adults with chlamydia and gonorrhea by 10 percent by 2020.

For chlamydia cases this translates to improving rates from 412 per 100,000 residents in 2010 to 371 per 100,000. For gonorrhea cases, that means shrinking the number from 112 cases per 100,000 residents in 2010 to 101 cases per 100,000.

Teenagers do not need parental consent to get tested for an STI in Iowa.

Nationally, more than 20 million new STIs occur each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, many cases are undiagnosed as STIs are often asymptomatic.

This means infected individuals don't show any signs of the disease and can pass the disease on to others, said Heather Meador, senior public health nurse for Linn County Public Health.

If left untreated, STIs can cause serious health problems and may even cause infertility, Meador said. But if caught, the infections can be treated with antibiotics, which she said the county will provide free of charge.

'We don't want people to think that if they find out they have an infection they can't afford treatment,” Meador said.