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   From: communist-scum@womenvoteproject.org   
      
   California has seen a record rise in cases of sexually   
   transmitted diseases and a spike in the number of stillbirths   
   caused by syphilis. It marks the third year in a row that the   
   state has seen a rise in the spread of STDs.   
      
   More than 300,000 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and early   
   syphilis were counted in 2017, according to the latest report by   
   the California Department of Public Health. Health officials   
   said the upsurge constitutes a 45 percent increase compared to   
   five years ago.   
      
   But what is "particularly concerning" to the department is that   
   the number of stillbirths due to congenital syphilis increased   
   to 30 — the highest number reported since 1995. And the overall   
   cases of California babies born with the disease — passed   
   through the placenta from their mothers — has more than   
   quadrupled since 2013 to 278 last year. It can cause severe   
   neurological problems, deformities or blindness, among other   
   serious ailments.   
      
   Chlamydia is by far the most widespread of the three diseases,   
   especially among young women under 30. Men account for the   
   majority of syphilis and gonorrhea cases. If left untreated, the   
   health department noted, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause   
   pelvic inflammatory disease and can lead to infertility, ectopic   
   pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain.   
      
   "STDs are preventable by consistently using condoms, and many   
   STDs can be cured with antibiotics," CDPH Director and State   
   Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith said in a statement.   
   "Regular testing and treatment are very important for people who   
   are sexually active, even for people who have no symptoms. Most   
   people infected with an STD do not know it."   
      
   Dr. Heidi Bauer, chief of the state health department's STD   
   Control Branch told NPR the rise in STDs can be blamed on a   
   multitude of factors that vary by demographic. For instance, the   
   rise in gonorrhea and syphilis among gay and bisexual men can be   
   partially due to the efficacy of HIV/AIDS treatments. "Because   
   of that there is less concern about the transmission of HIV and   
   using condoms," she said.   
      
   Rural populations have suffered greatly from the closure of   
   smaller health clinics, closed as a result of statewide budget   
   cuts during the recession. Bauer said, people with limited   
   access to care "have had to scramble," traveling long distances   
   to receive medical attention or testing. And in some, not every   
   provider stocks the medications to treat STD cases, she said.   
      
   The ubiquity of "hookup" apps is another contributing factor.   
   "The internet and smart phones have made it very, very easy to   
   create social and sexual connections between people," Bauer   
   said, adding that short-lived relationships, during which many   
   people don't bother to exchange meaningful contact information,   
   makes it challenging to notify previous sexual partners of   
   dangerous infections.   
      
   The data out of California are consistent with the most recent   
   nationwide numbers available from the Centers for Disease   
   Control and Prevention, which logged more sexually transmitted   
   diseases than ever in 2016. More than two million cases of   
   chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were diagnosed in the United   
   States that year and early reports indicate 2017 may be another   
   record setting year.   
      
   Alaska, Louisiana and Mississippi had the most chlamydia cases   
   per capita, while Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia ranked   
   highest for gonorrhea. The District of Columbia, Louisiana and   
   New York scored ignominious recognition for cases of syphilis.   
      
   In California, the health department is collaborating with the   
   state department of education and community groups to ensure   
   schools provide comprehensive STD/HIV prevention education, as   
   is required by the 2016 California Healthy Youth Act.   
      
   Good job Jerry.   
      
   https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-   
   way/2018/05/15/611307046/california-stds-raging-at-all-time-   
   highs-for-third-year-in-a-row   
                          
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)