Good news in the nation's capital. As reported by the Washington Post (free registration required), D.C. public schools are expanding a pilot program to offer education and free STD testing to all high school students.
The program conducted last year at eight high schools found that 13 percent of about 3,000 students tested positive for an STD, mostly gonorrhea or chlamydia, according to the D.C. Department of Health.STDs are of particular concern to AIDS activists because they increase the risk of contracting HIV. The testing program was hailed in a report being released Wednesday by the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice as a positive step in the city's effort to arrest its growing AIDS rate, which is the highest in the nation and is considered an epidemic. Half of the city's cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea are among adolescents.
The program, which has been discussed by the D.C. school board, requires students to attend a lecture about STDs, but they can opt out of providing a urine sample for the test.
The D.C. program is modeled after a Philadelphia program and similar to those offered in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, and Baltimore.
For more information on the AIDS epidemic in D.C., click here. Yet another reminder of the need for comprehensive sex education. I love the idea of coupling education programs with free testing and hope to see this replicated in more school districts.
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Yah its about time. I'm so glad that we are finally making this progress, I'm studying to be a venerable disease specialist in college and seeing programs like these makes me so happy because its going to make my job that much easier. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge officials can arm themselves with the better able they are going to be in fighting these things.
"...I'm studying to be a venerable disease specialist in college..."
Wow, what an unfortunate typo. :/
Anyway, best of luck with your studies!
"...Knowledge is power and the more knowledge officials can arm themselves with the better able they are going to be in fighting these things."
Likewise, the more knowledge the students themselves have about their own health the better able they are going to be in protecting themselves!
From what I read on the link, this program sounds very well planned and successful at achieving its goals of treating and counseling students. This is a clear win for socialized medicine. Now if those fancy folks in congress would just read this article, maybe healthcare reform can move forward.