As the 17th Annual World AIDS Day has come and gone, a recent report from the Wyoming Department of Health suggests a connection between HIV and other STDs.
An individual’s susceptibility to HIV is much stronger if they already carry a sexually transmitted disease. Sexually transmitted diseases weaken the immune system and can cause sores that act as entry points for HIV.
In 2010 alone, Wyoming had 23 new reports of HIV cases, and sexually transmitted diseases are becoming more difficult to treat.
“Over time, across the country they’re finding that in some cases there’s an increasing antibiotic resistance. Over time, for example gonorrhea, it takes stronger and stronger antibiotics to effectively treat them,” Kim Deti, Public Information Officer for the Wyoming Department of Health, said.
With such findings accumulating over the past years, the Wyoming Department of Health suggests that people should be tested for HIV and other STDs annually or when they change sexual partners. Without continual testing, someone could unknowingly have a disease and be at greater risk for an HIV infection.
“What we like to do is of course remind people to make smart choices that includes looking at using protection when they are sexually active. But what we really want people to know is how important it is to be tested and screened for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV,” Deti said.
The main problem in Wyoming is that many people are unaware that they have contracted a disease and are passing it on to their sexual partners.
“In Wyoming, and in a lot of places, people may be infected and they just don’t know it,” Deti said. “It’s not always obvious to people; you can have it for a while without knowing. And in the meantime you could be passing it on.”
One of the resources that the Wyoming Department of Health offers to the public is www.knowyo.org. There, people can learn more about sexually transmitted diseases and receive a voucher for free STD screening.
