According to the year 2018 data shared by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California continues to register high levels of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) diagnoses. Within the past 30 years, the state has noted a steadily growing upward trend in the number of cases diagnosed year-after-year.
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Since 2016, California has seen an unprecedented 45% rise in STDs and reported the CDPH, and in 2017 there were 300,000 cases of Chlamydia, Syphilis, and Gonorrhea. This increase in STDs has encouraged serious implications for Californians, especially pregnant women because the number of stillbirths has spiked across the state. So many STDs are diagnosed every year due to a lack of awareness about safe sex practices and ignorance towards STD testing/screening.
Testing for STD is the key to resolving a health crisis of such magnitude. If left undiagnosed and untreated, sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and primary & secondary syphilis can cause chronic, long-term health issued. Undetected STDs are the leading cause of cervical cancer and infertility.
In most Californian regions, STDs, particularly syphilis, continue to remain a major public health concern among both men and women. People with STDs may display mild symptoms, but most of the time, the diseases are asymptomatic.
Untreated syphilis leads to bigger health issues as it can affect the brain, heart, and other organs of the body, cause paralysis, neurological problems, and blindness. Not only this, it impacts the growth and wellbeing of the unborn baby if a pregnant lady contracts syphilis. It also increases the person's chances of contracting HIV/AIDS.
People under 30-years of age must undergo regular testing for STDs because they are the most common STDs carrier. Chlamydia rates are higher among females, whereas gonorrhea is more common among males. Males are the most impacted group with syphilis, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM).
According to the CDPH, the state has observed the largest increase in the number of congenital syphilis-related stillbirths (30 cases) since 1995. Though 30 isn't as high, it does indicate a larger issue at hand, which is rising STDs rates. It also suggests that people do not receive proper care, and pregnant females aren't getting prenatal care. That's why there have been a sudden rise in ectopic pregnancies, vision loss, and pelvic inflammatory disease over the years.
It is worth noting that STDs are preventable simply through getting tested and taking appropriate medication. Practicing safe sex is the key to better sexual health. Regular testing and treatment are the main prevention strategies. Therefore, even if there aren't any symptoms, you must get tested for STDs.
2570 Jensen Ave, Suite 115, Sanger, California 93657
9.92 mile
Tel: 5598757505
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
When visiting the health center for the first time, you will need to bring proper identification. If uninsured, you will need to bring a pay stub, an unemployment check stub, a recent tax return or a letter from your employer in order to prove your family income.
2502 E Jensen Ave, Sanger, California 93657
9.32 mile
Tel: (800) 492-4227
Appointment Required: Yes
Need to enroll as a patient.
1939 Academy Ave, Sanger, California 93657
9.79 mile
Tel: (559) 875-6900
Appointment Required: Yes
If available, you should also bring your Medi-Cal card, Medicare card or private insurance card. If uninsured, you will also need to bring a pay stub, an unemployment check stub, a recent tax return or a letter from your employer in order to prove your family income.
445 11th St, Orange Cove, California 93646
11.81 mile
Tel: (800) 492-4227
Appointment Required: Yes
Need to enroll as a patient.
372 W Cypress Ave, Reedley, California 93654
11.9 mile
Tel: (559) 391-3110
Appointment Required: Yes
Use our confidential STD symptom checker to get an idea of what STDs/STIs your symptoms align with and what STD tests are recommended to you.
Start Symptom CheckerWhich Method of STD Testing is Suitable for Me?
Every sexually active individual must protect their sexual health. Regular STD testing is the only way to care for your sexual health. However, sometimes it becomes confusing to select the right testing method as there are so many options available. For your convenience, we have gathered information about all available STD testing methods in California. Check them out to find out which option is suitable for you.
| Testing Method | Waiting Times | Speed of Results | Positive Consultation |
|---|---|---|---|
Private Testing (Walk-In Clinic) | 10-20 Minutes with No Wait | 24-72 Hours | Free With Positive Result |
At-Home STD Testing | No Wait | 5-11 Days | Free With Positive Result |
Doctor Visit with Insurance | Call for Appointment | 7-10 Days | Co-Pay Required |
Doctor Visit without Insurance | Call for Appointment | 7-10 Days | Out-of-Pocket Cost Required |
Public Clinic | Limited Hours and Long Lines | 7-14 Days | No |
Learn more in our ultimate guide to STD testing.
Similar to how other testing procedures behave, false-positive results are still evident even in STD testing. False-positive and even false-negative results are standard instances that showcase the imperfection of the test’s design – a factor that is present everywhere. However, despite certain inconsistencies in laboratory tests as such, physicians commonly use confirmatory tests that would often take another path entirely to arrive at the same conclusion – solidifying the initial test’s diagnosis while still ensuring that the second test is not following the inconsistencies of the first.
Considering that a wide variety of testing kits and laboratory procedures can be performed to determine conclusively whether you have a particular STD or not, the time that it will take for your results to return will also be subject to the same inconsistency. Although there are specific laboratories that could produce your results even by the end of the day (albeit, it is extremely rare for institutions to do so unless necessary), most would often take a few days to a week before the results are either delivered or posted online through your secure personal profile (in the case of online transactions). In addition to that, the capability of the laboratory performing the test may also contribute to the overall timeframe of result delivery – causing delays in cases where there are several requests or understaffed to provide expedited results.
Similar to what was previously mentioned, herpes infections are known for their recurring tendencies – causing outbreaks now and then and thus causing an intermittent spike in the patient’s viral load for specific instances. In addition to that, other STDs also take time to proliferate and produce a sufficient viral load that could warrant a positive and, more importantly, accurate diagnosis and detection from the tests being administered. As such, detecting an STD a few days following exposure is often complex and unpredictable – leading physicians to follow a certain timeframe instead for testing STDs instead of blindly testing immediately following exposure. Physical exams, however, may supplement inaccurate laboratory diagnoses, especially in cases where the test is prone to false results.
Although NAATs are well-known for their accuracy and sensitivity in detecting most STDs, it is also subject to certain inconsistencies, especially in the case of herpes infections. In Herpes, outbreaks often result in a relative increase in the patient’s viral load – leading to a timeline that usually has specific peaks at certain intervals instead of a consistent rise in viral load throughout. As such, sensitive tests such as NAATs are still unable to accurately diagnose herpes conditions, especially in cases where the patient has recently become asymptomatic and is currently between outbreaks. Other tests such as culture testing and type-specific virologic tests are often employed instead as a confirmatory diagnosis for the patient’s condition.
Yes. Certain companies offer at-home testing kits wherein you are the one that will collect the specimens necessary for the test at the comfort of your own home. Sure, it might sometimes be subject to errors due to the potential contamination of the sample from collection to transportation, but it does offer a great deal of privacy and convenience for patients who would prefer to have their identities hidden in fear that their community will judge them.
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California STD Data
According to the CDPH, in 2018, there was an alarming increase in the number of reported cases of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. The most dramatic spike was noted in syphilis, which crossed the 10-year record in percentage with an incredible 265% rise since 2008 (25,344 cases). On the other hand, the number of reported gonorrhea cases recorded a 211% increase since 2008 (80,000 cases), and chlamydia cases registered a 56% increase with 230,000 cases.
A concerning aspect is that congenital syphilis cases have been rising steadily every year. The 2018 data suggests that the current rate of congenital syphilis cases is 14% higher than in 2017 and around 900% higher than 2012 statistics. This led to a sharp increase in the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in 2018.
California's Los Angeles County recorded the 4th highest rate of chlamydia in the state, 3rd for gonorrhea, and 7th for syphilis and had a total of 275,000 STDs cases in 2016. Since 2012, the state has had a whopping 900% increase in infants diagnosed with lethal diseases.
HIV testing is an extremely vital component of HIV identification, treatment, and prevention strategies. It is the first step in the cascade of treatment efforts involving HIV status detection, health care services, and lifesaving ART. Apart from the direct benefits of timely HIV treatment availed by those diagnosed with HIV, HIV testing confers far-reaching benefits to the general public as it prevents HIV transmission. Around half of all new HIV diagnoses in the USA, reportedly, come from the HIV-infected individuals who are still unaware of their condition. If HIV is diagnosed early, infected individuals will certainly opt to reduce their high-risk behavior.
Historically, California state has supplemented the federal HIV prevention and testing funding to ensure that Californian PLWH could become aware of their infection and get lifesaving ART. However, the year 2009 budget deficits led California to eliminate this supplemental funding for prevention of HIV. This caused a considerable decline in testing rates across California between 2009-2015.
In high HIV burden local health jurisdictions, the rate fell from 66,629 in 2009 to 53,760 by 2015. On the other hand, in low-burden jurisdictions in California, HIV testing rates declined up to 90%, (20,302 in 2009 to 2,116 by 2015). According to the latest analytics from Aidsvu.org, the number of new HIV diagnoses reported/diagnosed late in 2018 was 875/100,000 people, which means 18% of all the HIV cases reported in 2018 were diagnosed late.
The risks associated with late diagnoses are far too many, both for the patient and society. If the patient is diagnosed late, and their CD4 counts are less than 200 cells/µL, their morbidity and mortality chances would be higher, and their body’s response to antiretroviral therapy will be diminished. Late diagnosis of HIV, particularly in older patients, could be detrimental for their health and wellbeing. Early diagnosis is crucial to reduce high-risk sexual behaviors and counseling in HIV-infected individuals.
According to the HIV Surveillance Report 2017, between 2013 and 2017, the number of HIV diagnoses per 100,000 people increased by 0.8% (from 4,70 in 2013 to 4,790 in 2017) whereas the rate of HIV infection declined by 2.4% (12.4 in 2013 to 12.1 in 2017) in California.
During the same period, the number of PLWH increased from 124,235 to more than 135,000 and diagnosed HIV prevalence rate was 340.3, which is higher than 323 in 2013. Aidsvu.org reported that by 2018, the number of new HIV diagnoses in California state increased slightly with the number surpassing 4700. In 2018, the largest population of PLWH was identified in San Francisco with an estimated 15,900 people out of which 9,167 were living with HIV classified as AIDS, and 67% of HIV-infected people in the city were over 50-years-old. This is considerably higher than 38% of PLWH above 50 years in 2005.
Another Californian city affected the most from HIV-AIDS is Long Beach, the 2nd largest city in Los Angele County. Although the rate of new diagnoses has gone down in the past few years, the rate is still twice as high as the state’s overall rate of infections. As per the latest HIV/STD Strategy Report 2019-2022, until December 2017, over 4500 residents of Long Beach were living with HIV, and 80% of the affected ones were men having sex with other men (MSM).
California Department of Public Health reported that between 2013 and 2017, the total number of annual deaths of PLWH in California increased from 1,735 to 1,874, which marked a 4.4% increase since 2013.
Decades of insufficient funding and lack of strategic coordination within the state's public health system has resulted in such high STDs rates in California. California needs to implement a carefully devised and fully funded action plan to deal with STDs' growth rates. Despite registering high STDs cases in annual surveys, the state still lacks a definite statewide plan.
California has recently started reinvesting in STDs prevention and treatment initiatives, but the current resources are inadequate in meeting the state's needs. The 2019-2020 State Budget signed by Gov. Gavin Newson includes limited investment in STDs prevention and treatment plans. It also didn't have funding to develop a well-coordinated statewide strategy for addressing STDs and HIV.
In California, the STD Prevention Center is responsible for developing and disseminating public awareness campaigns for the promotion of STD testing and treatment. The organization offers community partners, providers, and clinicians maximum support in this regard. Its resource library is developed by experts from the Essential Access Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the California STD Control Branch.
STD Prevention Center's main focus is on preventing syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV. Essential Access Health works with the CDPH STD Control Branch, Title X Network, the Los Angeles County Division of HIV/STD Programs, and county health departments to support prompt delivery of quality care and preventing STDs from spreading.
California also offers free family planning and other associated services to low-income patients through the Family PACT and Medi-Cal program. Medi-Cal offers comprehensive coverage in sexual and reproductive health care to Californians who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Family PACT also provides coverage for contraceptive care and STDs services to uninsured patients who earn around 200% of the federal poverty level and cannot access better health coverage because of confidentiality issues.
California has the second-largest number of people infected with HIV in the country. New York is at number one, currently. For decades, the Californian government provided supplemental funding from its general fund in addition to federal HIV prevention funding. Furthermore, CDC directly allocates funding to two main counties in the state, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is worth noting that Los Angeles had the 3rd largest and San Francisco has the 6th largest numbers of HIV cases among all US metropolitan areas in 2014-15. The CDC also offers HIV prevention grants to 24 community-based organizations in California. Through its funding, CDC ensures science-based HIV infection monitoring, expanding the scope of service delivery, and research on HIV prevention.
Until 2009, the state provided $42 million to assist local health jurisdictions for offering HIV prevention services, including testing and counseling, prevention education, partner notification, and risk reduction.
Approx. $33m of the funds were allocated from the general fund and $9m from federal funding. The funding was used to support a statewide network of free HIV testing sites to ensure uninsured and poor populace access to testing and treatment. The California State Office of AIDS (SOA) also distributed rapid test kits free-of-charge to local health jurisdictions.
However, in 2010, the state had to experience $40 billion shortfalls in the state’s overall budget, which amounted for around 40% of the general funding. This resulted in a reduction in funding to every program that received support from the general funding, including the HIV programs. Around 80% of general funding for HIV prevention programs were reduced for the Office of AIDS in 2010, leaving the state with just $12m from CDC funding for local health jurisdictions, excluding the direct support from CDC.
Lack of state funding has severely affected the prevention strategies and contributed to the state’s overall increment in the number of new diagnoses. Increased funding is important, especially in high-burden areas like Santa Barbara, Marin and Santa Cruz, Long Beach, etc. Moreover, the state needs to expand HIV testing in those jurisdictions where state funds are still received.
Furthermore, Californian lawmakers recently passed the SB239 bill, which decreased the penalty for those intentionally or knowingly exposed people to HIV without their knowledge. The bill was approved in September 2017 by the state legislature and signed by Governor Jerry Brown. The law not only lowered the charges for intentional transmission of HIV from felony to misdemeanor, but decriminalized the intentional donation of HIV-infection blood. Such laws may seem progressive to some, by many criticized it because it further affected the state’s overall HIV testing and prevention strategies.
According to CDPH, all state regions are reporting high rates of STDs among people aged 15-24, gay, African-Americans, bisexuals, and MSM. Both males and females are equally affected by STDs in California. The main factors promoting an increase in STDs within this particular age group include substance abuse, disparities in access to health care, and incarceration, claims CDC.
However, California also has one of the highest rates of STDs for older adults in the country. In 2018, the STD rate for older adults was 134.1/100,000 people. As per a study from Indiana University, older adults (aged 60 or above) do not rely much on condoms, which exposes them to STDs. Athenhealth Network's research revealed that people aged 60 or above comprise the largest rise in in-office treatment for STDs. Herpes simplex, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis cases have increased by 23% among people over 60 between 2014 and 2017.
In recent years, Californian females have registered the highest number of cases of syphilis. Between 2008 and 2018, there was a 743% increase in syphilis diagnoses among women than 268% in men.
Congenital syphilis cases increased by 391% between 2008 and 2018. Less than two out of ten people in California are between the ages of 15-24. However, this particular age group reported the highest number of STD cases, with five out of ten chlamydia diagnoses, three out of ten gonorrhea cases belonging to people between ages 15-24 in California. Compared with the whites, the reported STDs rate was around five times higher among African-Americans in gonorrhea and chlamydia cases and three times higher for early syphilis.
In California, according to 2018 estimates, the percentage of PLWH in California by gender was extremely disproportionate. Around 88% of PLWH were males, and just 11.8% were females. Ethnicity-wise, 16.6% of the total reported cases in 2018 were African-Americans, 38% were Hispanic/Latinx, and 37% were Whites. Recent data suggests that Hispanics/Latinxs make up the largest proportion of new diagnoses with the rate reaching 47%, followed by Whites and Blacks.
In California, people aged 55 or above make up the largest proportion of HIV-infected population with over 36% of all cases, followed by the 45-54 age group with 28% and 35-44 age group reporting 18.4% of all diagnoses in 2018.
The least affected group was people aged 13-24 with 2.4% while for people between the age 25 and 34, the rate of diagnoses in 2018 was 14%.
Although the number of HIV diagnoses among Californian African-Americans is lower than whites, the rate of black males with HIV is 2.6 times more than white males. Hispanic/Latino males have 1.0 times higher diagnosis rate than white. Similarly, in comparison to white females, the rate of black females with HIV is 9.3 times higher than white females.
California has implemented a proactive sexual education strategy and revised the sex-ed curriculum to make it more comprehensive and inclusive. The state passed a law AB-239 in 2016 that made it compulsory for schools to offers LGBTQ-inclusive sex education and include lessons on gender identity, healthy relationships, and HIV/STDs prevention. The law is also called the California Healthy Youth Act.
The bill was aimed to create awareness among K-12 students to ward off STDs and develop a healthy attitude towards gender, sexual orientation, and relationships. Apart from aiming to help the youth understand that sexuality is a part of their natural development, the bill also promises to support educators and provide them guidance and tools to accomplish this goal.
Although allowing parents to opt their kids out of sex ed, it prohibits them from opting their kids out of gender-related materials, such as gender identity, sexual orientations, and gender expression. It also bans discussion of any religious doctrine and discourages abstinence-centric sex-ed.
According to the state's most recent guidelines on sex education, schools are required to put this bill into practice and provide comprehensive sex ed to students of grades 7-12. HIV prevention education must start in middle school and continue until high school.
How Does it Work?
Most people experience feelings of hesitation when going to get tested for STD, despite knowing they might have contracted one. EasySTD was created to change that.
Visit your nearest lab or clinic, order your home testing kit online, and follow the given instructions from an STD testing provider.
After ordering your STD test, visit the testing center to get tested or take a self sample including urine, cotton swab, or finger prick with the home testing kit and mail it back.
Receive the lab-certified results of your STD test from your test provider via mail or phone within 2 to 3 days. If the test comes positive, consult your doctor immediately.
Help stop the spread of STDs by knowing your status. Get tested today!
