KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Kent County has seen a dramatic rise in sexually transmitted disease over the last 10 years, primarily with huge increases in cases of gonorrhea and syphilis.
The Kent County Health Department says that cases of gonorrhea have nearly doubled since 2012 and cases of syphilis have been dramatically increasing as well.
The rise in cases of sexually transmitted infections (STI) are largely in young people ages 15-24, but there have also been four reported cases of congenital syphilis in babies over the last two years.
"The problem with syphilis is that it has also increased in females of childbearing age. And so that's a real problem, because along with that, came congenital syphilis, which increased also in Kent County, and also very dramatically in Michigan," said April Hight, Personal Health Services Program Supervisor for the Kent County Health Department.
The rise in STIs in the county are partly due to the pandemic because of a lack of access to testing and education over the past few years. There is also a stigma with STIs that makes people not want to disclose any infections they may have to partners.
The Kent County Health Department is taking steps to reduce infections in the county through a few different efforts. The health department has an STI clinic on Fuller Avenue that provides free STI screening, treatment and counseling for all persons ages 13 and older.
"If you are a minor 13 to 17, you can come to the health department without a parent's permission. So that's in the law. So we're able to see people, you know, without their parents signing a consent, which is a big deal, because some people just don't get tested because they don't want their parents to know," Hight added.
The clinic provides testing and treatment for the most common STIs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and HIV. Testing and treatment is also available for Hepatitis C and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for those who are at risk for HIV infection.
According to Hight, over half of all of the reported STIs occur in people between the ages of 15-24. The health department hopes that with free screening and treatment available without a parent's consent, that many people between those ages can find out if they have an STI and get it treated before infecting others.
The health department is also trying to get out in the community and test in different places to help with accessibility for residents in Kent County.
To schedule an appointment at the free clinic, call 616-632-7171 or stop in to the clinic at 700 Fuller Avenue NE in Grand Rapids.
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