An annual report shows Lane County has one of the higher rates of sexually-transmitted infections (STI) in Oregon, and the nation. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.
The latest County Health Rankings report used chlamydia incidences from 2015. For every 100,000 Lane County residents, there were nearly 460 reported cases. Oregon as a whole had roughly 411, while the U.S. figure is 479.
Lane County’s Public Health Manager, Joceyln Warren, says there are some possible factors behind the numbers.
“We know that people are not practicing safe sex as they used to during the height of the HIV epidemic, given that we do have drugs now that are more effective in preventing transmission," says Warren.
"And delaying the long-term adverse effects that we saw at the height of HIV.”
Warren says when rates go up for STIs, there’s usually a bump for HIV rates, too. Her agency is using a five-year grant with funds from the CDC to address communicable diseases across Lane County.
Jefferson and Multnomah Counties had the highest rates of STIs, with about 600 cases per 100,000 people.
Copyright 2018, KLCC.
