Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reminds citizens about STI testing
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (SBCPHD), the California Department of Public Health and the CDC are all recognizing STI Awareness Week starting April 14.
The time period is meant to raise awareness about STIs in efforts to reduce stigma and increase knowledge on how to treat them, prevent them and test for them.
Gonorrhea and syphilis numbers have all been up since the pandemic with county records in 2022 according to the SBCPHD.
Santa Barbara County reminds those who are sexually active to take the following precautions:
The following information is from a SBCPHD press release:
- Talk openly and honestly to your healthcare provider about sexual health and STIs.
Your provider is trained and knowledgeable to answer questions about your sexual
health. - Talk with your partner(s) before having sex.
o Ask each other when the last time you were tested.
o Suggest getting tested together.
o Be honest with your partner if you have an STI (like herpes or HIV) and have
a conversation about any adjustments you both may need to do during sex.
o Use condoms the correct way for every act of vaginal, anal, and oral sex
throughout the entire sex act (from start to finish). - Get tested. It’s the only way to know for sure if you have an STI or HIV.
o Many STIs don’t cause any symptoms, so you could have one and not know.
o Sexually active individuals 18 and over can order self-test kits at
TakeMeHome.org for free. - If you test positive for an STI, work with your healthcare provider to get the
treatment. Remember all STIs are treatable. Make sure your treatment works by
doing these things:
o Take all of the medication your healthcare provider prescribes, even if you
start feeling better or your symptoms go away.
o Don’t share your medicine with anyone.
o Avoid having sex again until you and your sex partner(s) have all completed
treatment.
For more information, visit the SBCPHD website on sexual health.
