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April is STD Awareness Month

CDC.gov

April is STD Awareness Month.  In preparation, the Adolescent Health Project is encouraging teens to get tested for STD’s in a variety of ways.

Brenda Council, Women’s Fund of Omaha’s Adolescent Health Project Manager, says these include posters in public restrooms, urinal cakes and clings on bathroom mirrors. 

Council says these things will provide young people with messages about standard STD testing, something many young people are afraid of doing. 

She explains most teens don’t realize testing usually requires only a urine sample. 

Council says research was conducted prior to this campaign and data indicated youth, ages 15-24 continue to have the most reported cases of Chlamydia and gonorrhea.

"Last year, the CDC issued the results of a national report showing that fears and concerns around confidentiality and privacy were the number one reason that adolescents weren’t being tested for sexually transmitted infections.”

Council says the campaign is primarily aimed at males because the AHP’s data shows they are much less likely to get tested than females.  Of those who are tested, more than 60% are female. 

For more information, the website is GetCheckedOmaha.com.