The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently reported that STDs are on the rise for the first time since 2006. They have seen rises in three sexually transmitted diseases: chlamydia, gonorrhea,and syphilis.
The biggest hike was in syphilis, which was up 15% since 2013.
Costing the U.S. $16 billion annually, young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are responsible for over half of all new STDs each year. And now the CDC believes online dating is to blame.
It is no secret more and more Americans are turning to online dating to meet a partner. Websites like Tinder allow people to meet and hook up without knowing much about each other. If you do not know much about the partner, chances are you will not know if they have any history of STDs.
Described by members of the CDC as a contagious box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get with online dating. Due to the casual atmosphere of these websites, if you become diagnosed with a disease, it is even harder to track down the partner to let them know. This then turns into a vicious cycle of different STDs circulating with no way to track who gave what to who.
If you need STD testing, your neighborhood walk-in clinic will be able to help you. Urgent care centers are extremely convenient for after hours medical help, as only 29% of primary care doctors have coverage outside their typical office hours.
Over 85% of walk in clinics are open seven days a week, 95% of them close after 7 p.m. with most facilities opening before nine in the morning. And don’t worry about the long wait times that you may find in the emergency room, as 69% of walk in clinics report a wait time of less than 20 minutes.
Additionally, clinics are a cheaper alternative than the emergency room. On average, patients who go to the ER spend $784 more than they would have in an urgent care facility.
It is important to understand that while urgent care may be a quicker alternative to the emergency room, walk in clinics are not meant for critical health problems, like strokes, heart attack or seizures. But if you believe you have a respiratory illness, ear infection, fractured bone, or some other such urgent medical need, an urgent care facility is a great choice.
Head to AFC Urgent Care Portland next time you need to be checked by a doctor!
