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Find the NCC on Facebook!
The National Chlamydia Coalition is now on Facebook. To follow the NCC, simply visit our page and click the "like" button. Don't forget to share it with your friends and colleagues!
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Dear Colleague,
Welcome to NCC News. This online newsletter was created to keep you up-to-date on all things chlamydia and related areas of interest. We hope you will find it useful and informative. Please feel free to share this with your colleagues who also may find it of use. |
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April is STD Awareness Month!
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April is STD Awareness Month, and in 2014 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is promoting STD prevention as a part of HIV prevention. Studies show that people who have STDs such as  gonorrhea, herpes, and syphilis are more likely to get HIV. And the same behaviors that put a person at risk for acquiring these STDs also put them at risk for HIV. Check out these various CDC resources to help promote STD Awareness Month to your networks. Also, check out the GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign for additional youth-focused materials such as posters, flyers, buttons and other resources that can be downloaded and printed. Spread the word and get yourself tested!
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Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2012: Focus on Chlamydia
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In this installment of the Research Translation Committee's Expert Commentary series, Charlotte Gaydos, MS, MPH, DrPH, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, reports on statistics and trends of chlamydia surveillance in 2012. A total of 1,422,976 cases of chlamydia trachomatis infection were reported to the CDC in 2012. This number represents the largest number of cases ever reported to CDC for any condition. However, for the first time since 2000, chlamydia case rates decreased among adolescents aged 15-19 years. Click here to read more.
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Texting About Condoms, Contraception Linked to Condom Use
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According to a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, high school students who mentioned condoms or other contraceptives in  text messages or other electronic communications were three times more likely to consistently use condoms during sex. The study of 176 high school juniors and seniors also found that students who discussed pregnancy or sexual limits via technology were more than twice as likely as other students to use condoms consistently.
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Updated Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Laboratory Recommendations
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New Report on the Integration of Public Health and Primary Care
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The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials released a report that examines public health and primary care integration as it relates to STD services. The report examines the current status of integration of services provided for STDs and how transitioning to a more integrated model can be successful, and also identifies the challenges, opportunities, successes, and lessons learned that would help future integration efforts.
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Webinar on STI Management in the HIV-Infected Person
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The Center for Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is hosting a free webinar, "The Intersection of Clinical and Public Health Practice: STI Management in the HIV-Infected Person" on Tuesday, April 2, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EDT. Dr. Khalil Ghanem, MD, PhD, at the Johns  Hopkins University School of Medicine is presenting the webinar, which is co-sponsored by the STD/HIV Prevention Training Center at Johns Hopkins and the Mid-Atlantic Public Health Training Center at Johns Hopkins. For more information contact the Mid-Atlantic Public Health Training Center at 443-287-6732 or maphtc@jhsph.edu. |
| New KFF Fact Sheet on HPV Vaccine | |
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US, yet vaccination rates have remained stagnant. Available vaccines are safe and effective at preventing devastating cancers and other HPV-related illnesses and are recommended for male and female adolescents and young adults. This Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) fact sheet discusses HPV and related cancers, use of the HPV vaccines for both females and males, and insurance coverage and access to the vaccines.
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| New Toolkit Helps Healthcare Providers Integrate Sexual Health into Patient-Centered Care | |
To support health centers as they work to better integrate sexual health into patient-centered care, the Fenway Institute's National LGBT Health Education Center collaborated with the National  Association of Community Health Centers to create a new toolkit, Taking Routine Histories of Sexual Health: A System-Wide Approach for Health Centers. The toolkit provides resources for establishing the routine collection of sexual health histories during primary care visits, including: tips for putting the patient at ease; recommended screening questions and subsequent risk assessments; tips for how providers and other members of the clinical care team can be sensitive to and inclusive of special populations; and tools such as sample wording for intake forms, diagnosis codes related to sexual history and screening, and examples of how to incorporate risk assessment forms into electronic medical records.
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| New NCSD State Policy Resource Released | |
The National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) recently released a new resource, 2012 State HIV and STD Legislative Highlights and Analysis, to educate lawmakers and the public about STD/HIV policy. This report contains legislative highlights and analysis from the 2012 session. In 2012, 25 states introduced sexual health and STD prevention-related legislation. Generally these bills sought to increase awareness of specific aspects of sexual health and expand access to prevention and treatment services.
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