Anyone who is becoming sexually active should be checked for sexually transmitted diseases, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Numbers show cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia are all on the increase.
“Based on the data between 2008 and 2012, we have been seeing an increase in chlamydia and syphilis,” says Rich Zimmerman, the department’s STD section chief, “and, based on the data between 2010 to 2012, we have seen an increase in gonorrhea, also.”
The illnesses we used to think of as “VD” are more prevalent than the more-publicized AIDS, Zimmerman says.
As for testing, Zimmerman says you should make sure you know which diseases you are being tested for. For prevention, Zimmerman says abstinence is best, followed by consistent and correct use of condoms.