Public health departments combat STD, STI increases in Southern Oregon

Sexually transmitted infections and diseases have been on the rise not only in Klamath County but also throughout Oregon and the U.S., local health officials say.

The latest data from County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, which the Herald and News also published in March, show a significant spike of STD and STI rates in Klamath County between 2007 and 2016. Currently,the rankings list 451 newly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections per 100,000 people, up from 435 last year.

To prepare for this, the Oregon Health Authority awarded $3.9 million to several state and regional departments, including about $500,000 to Klamath and Jackson Counties’ public health departments, said KCPH Director Courtney Vanbragt.

But the grants are just one puzzle piece to what Vanbragt describes as an overall shift in culture, which includes how people talk about STDs and STIs.

“Part of combating STI rates is helping people get comfortable talking about STIs with partners, using protection and getting tested as a normal, healthy part of a good sex life,” Vanbragt said.

Vanbragt said that the recent County Health Rankings from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation look specifically at newly diagnosed chlamydia cases occurring in the county.

Right now, Klamath County comes in higher than Oregon with 450 infections per 100,000 people, whereas Oregon sits around 410. In 2007, Klamath County had a rate of 170 infections per 100,000 people. Vanbragt said that the Oregon Health Authority reports similar trends when looing at cumulative data between 2007 and 2016.

Overall, OHA data claims Klamath County has a rate of 543 infections per 100,000 people. Oregon’s rate is 526.

Two key factors could play a role in these trends: The increase of people who meet through social media and dating apps and a decline in condom use. Vanbragt said studies show condom use has especially declined among younger populations. She says this trend comes due to the increased use of long-acting reversible contraception, or “LARCs, that are highly effective in preventing pregnancy but not STDs or STIs.

Vanbragt also said that the increase of sexual encounters started through social media make their own research more difficult.

“It’s much more difficult to contact individuals when relationships are established on social media, as very little information is known other than what is posted on their social media accounts,” Vanbragt said.

In a county news release from March, Vanbragt said that KCPH would begin work with Jackson County Public Health to work on communicable disease concerns, which includes addressing the increase in STI rates and working on youth immunization rates. The main effort is an 18-month project that also works with local doctors and healthcare providers.

As part of the grant, Vanbragt said that Klamath and Jackson Counties will now hire a full-time program coordinator and part-time “MD Champion” to help carry out public health modernization grant activities. Public health modernization works to help identify when certain goals aren’t being met and identify where departments could work to achieve shared goals, according to the OHA.

Vanbragt said that regional solutions are part of bringing public health into the modern era.

“With people routinely traveling between both counties, cooperative approaches to communicable diseases benefit everyone,” she said.

For the short-term, Vanbragt says her department has STI counseling services that includes topics such as the risk of infection, reinfection and treatment options. She said they also offer a broad scope of services, which include STI screening, testing and treatments.

Klamath County Public Health can be reached directly at 541-882-8846.

Submitted photo

Submitted photo