The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that five cities in Georgia are among the top 100 list of highest rates in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) per 100,000 people in America. Augusta was ranked 6th with 1 675 cases, Columbus came 15th with 1,440 cases, Macon ranked 23rd with 1,353 cases, Savannah was 34th with 1,181 cases, and Atlanta was at No. 43 with 1,105 cases in 2018.
Board Approved
Reviewed by one or multiple members of our medical team550 Peachtree St Ne Ste 1775, Atlanta, Georgia 30308
Tel: 8666978378
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
5667 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd 250, Atlanta, Georgia 30342
Tel: 4044185952
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
81 Upper Riverdale Rd Sw, #140, Riverdale, Georgia 30274
Tel: 7709941597
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
4275 Johns Creek Pkwy Ste B, Suwanee, Georgia 30024
Tel: 6784177039
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
2311 Parkwood Drive, Brunswick, Georgia 31520
Tel: 9122676110
Today's best offer is: $10 off any order. Discount will be applied automatically.
General Public. Couples HIV testing available - couples can come in together to be tested.
236 Forsyth St SW, Ste 202B, Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Tel: (404) 521-2410
Appointment Required: Yes
The Chatham CARE Center is a Coastal Health District program center for expanded HIV services.
107 B Fahm St, Savannah, Georgia 31401
Tel: (912) 651-2253
Tel: (912) 651-2365
Appointment Required: Yes
HIV self-testing kits are available for pick-up at several locations throughout Augusta - please call or visit website for additional information.
1120 15th St, Augusta, Georgia 30912
Tel: (706) 721-4463
Appointment Required: Yes
HIV awareness education and testing are offered throughout Savannah. Please check website for events.
120 Fahm Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401
Tel: (912) 238-2777
Appointment Required: Yes
Free HIV testing offered to individuals ages 18 and older. Sexual health education and classes within the facility as well as in the community.
853 Battle Creek Rd, Jonesboro, Georgia 30236
Tel: (770) 478-1099
Tel: (770) 478-8722
Appointment Required: No
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 Georgia. 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.
It can be, but it does not necessarily have to be. What many people need to understand is that laboratory tests would most often than not be relatively pricey due to the technology that is being utilized behind these diagnostic techniques. However, opting for specific laboratories that offer more convenient testing procedures and discounted prices for diagnostic tests would help ensure that the price will not be much of an issue in providing you with the conclusive diagnosis of your condition. It might take some independent scanning to find the right testing center for you in the most acceptable price range, but it is not as impossible as many people make it out to be.
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.
For more information, skip to the FAQs section on this page.
Test Advisor
Know all about STD testing options, and the costs of different STD tests.
CDC states that Georgia is among the high-risk states in America because of the steadily increasing STD cases. The Georgia Department of Public Health revealed that between 2014-2018, there has been a 14.3% increase in overall STDs rates. Between 2014 and 2018, the state recorded a 14.3% increase in its overall STD rates, the highest being among young people aged 14-24 and females.
According to the CDC, in 2018 alone, more than 2.4 million STD cases were reported throughout the USA. Since most STDs are asymptomatic, which means many diseases don't have any obvious symptoms, like gonorrhea or chlamydia, that's why people never get to identify that they are infected. Infections like syphilis or HIV may be active within your body for a long time before their symptoms become apparent.
In Georgia, STDs have disproportionately affected the population, and most cases of chronic STDs like syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea go undiagnosed every year. Underreporting of STD cases has contributed greatly to increasing the rates of STDs transmission across the state. Data on some STDs like herpes simplex virus or human papillomavirus are not even reported to the CDC regularly. Resultantly, nationwide surveillance data fails to capture the true figure of the country's STD pandemic.
Therefore, sexually active individuals must get tested for STDs. Testing should be considered one of the most important parts of your health care routine because it is vital for ensuring better sexual health. If you get tested at the right time, the chances of getting the proper treatment and enjoying an improved quality of life will be enhanced. Many STDs can be cured with antibiotics, especially chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea. However, if not diagnosed and treated at the right time, these diseases can put not only males and females but infants at risk of various lifelong health conditions like reproductive health issues, chronic pain, HIV, etc.
In Georgia, the CDC supports the state health department through regular funding to offer science-based STDs control and prevention services. The state and CDC collectively perform research and development to provide scalable, sustainable, high impact, and cost-effective plans to reduce STDs.
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DOPH) has integrated its STD and HIV programs and aims to decrease the demarcation existing between STD and HIV care. For instance, in Georgia, only HIV specimens are couriered to laboratories, and STD specimens are left behind.
Since the data related to HIV and STD cases remains segregated, it becomes difficult for the state health department to identify patients infected with both HIV and STD. To address this issue, the health department has added linkage to care to STDs' database and cross-matches the STD and HIV databases. Since the department doesn't have the necessary infrastructure to check every case, it mainly focuses on increasing awareness among the general public.
The DOPH offers confidential and free-of-charge HIV and STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing for chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and gonorrhea in collaboration with Student Health Promotion, DeKalb, and Futon County Health Departments.
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The Georgia Department of Public Health reports that the state is ranked among the top ten highly affected states in the US when it comes to STDs. Middle Georgia has registered the highest STD rates as there were around 1,310 gonorrhea cases, 3,863 chlamydia cases, and 42 syphilis cases apart from over 2,000 cases of HIV.
The state ranks fourth in the country for both primary and secondary syphilis cases and is ranked tenth for congenital syphilis cases, as per the year 2017 data. It is at number 6 for chlamydia with 65,104 diagnoses (623 cases/100,000 people). Georgia's chlamydia infection rate is approx. 18% higher than the overall national rate, while in 2013, the state recorded a 34% rise in the number of chlamydia cases. The rate of gonorrhea infection in Georgia is about 25% higher than the national average with 217 cases/100,000 population (22,667 diagnoses), and its primary and secondary syphilis rate is 50% above the national level (1,489 primary and secondary stage cases). In fact, primary and secondary syphilis cases have been rising steadily since 2010, and since 2001 the state's syphilis rate has more than doubled.
Atlanta metro area is most affected by chlamydia than any other region in Georgia. Over one in two gonorrhea cases in 2017 occurred in this region, and around all primary and secondary syphilis cases that year were reported in the Atlanta metro area.
Primary and secondary syphilis and congenital syphilis have remained a serious health concern primarily among men who have sex with men (MSM) and pregnant females, reported CDC. In 2011, the rate of primary/secondary syphilis in Georgia was around 6.5/100,000 population and rose to 14/100,000 people by 2015. Georgian females are most affected by chlamydia. Between 2011 and 2015, the state recorded a nearly 2.2 times increase in chlamydia cases among females as the cases increased from 349 to 779 per 100,000 people.
Furthermore, STD and teen pregnancy rates are higher among Georgian youth in comparison to the national average. In 2013, the rate of pregnancies among females between ages 15-19 in Georgia was 30.5/1000 women, while the national average was 26 pregnancies/1000 women. The state's teen pregnancy rate is 12th highest in the country.
Similarly, the state has recorded higher STI rates among young people than the rest of the US youth. In 2014, Georgia's rank was 8th in the country regarding the number of chlamydia and gonorrhea cases among people between 15 and 24, with an infection rate of over 2500 cases and 552 cases respectively per100,000 people. It is even more concerning that Georgia ranked 2nd in the country for primary and secondary syphilis cases among people aged between 15-24 with 24.3 cases/100,000.
LGBTQ youth in the state is also at an increased risk of STIs and HIV, as this group isn't protected from marginalization. In 2010, just 30 percent of school districts had implemented LGBTQ-related bullying prevention policies. This makes Georgia's LGBTQ youth more vulnerable to substance abuse, depression, and sexual behaviors that may expose them to STDs and HIV.
Regarding senior adults (aged 55 or above), Georgia happens to be among the US's high-risk states due to the growth in STD cases among the elderly. According to CDC and TheSeniorList.com's recent study, the state has recorded a staggering 131% increase in STD cases among senior citizens between 2008 and 2017, with a 68% increase in gonorrhea cases, 152% rise in syphilis, and 108.9% rise in chlamydia cases.
Sexual health education or sex-ed is crucial to curtailing the prevailing STD crisis in Georgia. Georgia needs to develop culturally sensitive as well as evidence-based sex-ed programs. Many Georgians, including teachers, aren't sufficiently equipped to make informed decisions about STDs/STIs risk. Georgia is home to the CDC, and therefore, the state is in a unique position to devise and implement evidence-based sex-ed interventions.
The state of Georgia, although mandates that sex-ed and HIV education should be provided in schools, the state law doesn't require the curriculum to be age appropriate, medically accurate, unbiased, and culturally relevant. Moreover, Georgia allows the promotion of religion through sex education and makes it necessary for teachers to emphasize abstinence until marriage. Ironically, just 34% of Georgian schools taught students about the importance of using condoms in 2014, and only 14% informed students on how to use a condom.
In the fiscal year 2014, local Georgian entities and the state government received $2,682 391 in abstinence education funds. The funds were released for the Competitive Abstinence Education Program and the Title V State Abstinence Education Program. Under this program, programs receiving funds use inappropriate practices to create awareness among students, such as shame and fear-based tactics, such as comparing sexually active students with used chewing gum. It also promotes misleading information to students.
Comprehensive sexual health education is necessary, but it must offer accurate information about the use of condoms, abstinence, and contraception. If such a curriculum is developed in Georgia, teen pregnancy rates would surely come down. Students will be more aware of safe sex practices and would undergo STDs testing at the right time.
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.
It would vary depending on the condition that is being tested. STDs behave differently due to the varying pathogenicity of each STD’s causative organism. In some instances, you can get accurately tested as early as two weeks following exposure, while some are intermittently inaccurate due to its recurrence (much like in the case of herpes infections). To avoid this, be sure to discuss the intricacies of the test with your physician to understand whether a particular test could provide you with a conclusive diagnosis or if it still needs another confirmatory test to establish its premise.
Depending on the test being performed and the testing physician's targeted diseases, various types of samples can be requested from you. In some instances, a minuscule blood sample of a few milliliters will be collected, some might ask for a urine sample, and others may opt for a genital swab. Again, the sample being collected will depend on the test being conducted and the outcome that is being targeted for this particular procedure.
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.
It does vary on a case-to-case basis. Insurance policies are often particular with the instances that they would be covering with their program. Some may cover severe accidents, some may even consider “orphan disease,” and yes, some may also cover the expenses for performing STD diagnostic tests. However, considering that your insurance provider will have to verify the person's identity availing of the program, STD testing laboratories that employ a minimal collection of patient information may not accept insurance policies to prioritize privacy over affordability.
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!
