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Health officials urge El Pasoans to get STD screenings

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EL PASO, Texas - El Paso public health officials urge El Pasoans, especially pregnant women, to seek health screenings for sexually transmitted diseases to safeguard their health and that of their newborns.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report showing annual cases of STDs have been on the rise around the country, reaching all-time highs for a seventh consecutive year.

According to the CDC there were 5,749 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in 2020. They are the three most commonly reported STDs.

That is a 25% increase in cases in a year. The biggest increase in cases of syphilis was among newborns, which quadrupled from 2015 to 2019.

To help with this increase health experts are urging pregnant women to get prenatal care early.

The Texas Health Code requires medical providers test pregnant women for STDs during the first and third trimesters.

STDs can have serious health consequences. Health officials say people with these infections do not always experience symptoms. If left untreated, some can increase the risk of HIV infection or other complications such as chronic pelvic pain, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, newborn complications and even infant death.

Individuals in need of STD screenings may contact the DPH CommUnity Care Center for an appointment at (915) 212-0200 and select Option 5 or visit EPHealth.com under the Services Tab CommUnity Care Center or call 2-1-1 for a referral to services.

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