STD Testing in Idaho

Idaho STD Data

STD data & statistics in Idaho

Idaho has some of the country’s lowest prevalence of STDs among all the states. It ranked relatively low nationally for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. In 2017, around 6,200 people were diagnosed with chlamydia in Idaho, giving the state a rate of 368 cases/100,000 people after population adjustment. This was the 7th lowest rate in all 50 US states. However, compared to the 2012 rate, the number of chlamydia cases in Idaho has increased by 30%.

Regarding gonorrhea, the state reportedly had the 4th lowest number of cases among all US states, which was around one-third of the overall national rate. Idaho’s gonorrhea rate was around 80% lower than Mississippi, which had the highest rate of gonorrhea in 2017. Over the years, the gonorrheal infection has exploded all across Idaho as its rate has gone up by over 450% since 2012.

After population adjustment, Idaho’s rate of primary and secondary syphilis cases was the country’s 11th lowest and over 80% less than Nevada’s levels, which had the highest rate of syphilis in 2017. But, the state has recorded over a 440% increase in syphilis cases since 2014.

In Idaho, chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most widely prevalent STD, and the infection rate is the highest among people between the ages of 15 and 24.

The incidence rate of gonorrhea infection in Idaho rose to alarming levels between 2015 and 2016, accounting for 36 infections per 100,000 people. This was the highest reported infection rate in the past thirty years, as in 1968, just 68 infections/100,000 people were reported. Like chlamydia, gonorrheal infections are also commonly reported among young Idahoans.

Around two-thirds of infections are reported among people aged 15-29 years, and over 50% of all infections in 2016-2017 occurred in people aged 20-29 years of age. The rate of gonorrhea cases in south-central Idaho marked a 203% increase in 2016-17, whereas, in southeast Idaho, the rate decreased approx. 14%.

The incidence rate of early syphilis reported during 2015 and 2016 was about five infections in every 100,000 people annually, significantly less than either chlamydia or gonorrhea. (Early syphilis is when the infection has been happening for less than 12 months.) However, recent reports of early syphilis in Idaho are higher today than in 20 years. The increases over the last two years can be attributed to an ongoing outbreak of syphilis in Southwest Idaho and steady incremental increases in the number of early syphilis infections reported among Idahoans in other areas of the state.

The state recorded a syphilis outbreak in 2014, which affected residents of Canyon and Ada counties and contributed to the high number of infections diagnosed in 2015-16. Syphilis, if left untreated, can lead to deafness, blindness, meningitis, dementia, and paralysis.

HIV Rates in Idaho

Idaho is a U.S state located in the northwestern part of the country. The state is home to beautiful landscapes and mountain ranges. In terms of area, Idaho is considered to be the 14^th largest state. According to the data from the U.S Bureau of Census, Idaho's population is 1.8 million, making it the 13^th least populated state.

Considering the data obtained from the United States Census Bureau, 2019, the total population of Idaho was 1.7 million. The majority of the population of Idaho are White Americans (93%). The rest of the ethnic groups, such as Black Americans, Asians, and individuals of Hispanic origin, are a minority in Idaho.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, CDC Idaho is among those states where the prevalence of HIV is fairly low. In 2015, the state reportedly had 38 adults and adolescents newly diagnosed with the virus.

The numbers from CDC, Idaho State profile indicates that during the year 2015, only 38 individuals were newly diagnosed with HIV. In 2018 according to a report by AIDSVu, the numbers of newly diagnosed cases in the state remained 37, which means that during four years, the numbers of newly diagnosed cases were still the same.

CDC has ranked Idaho43rd of the 50 U.S states of having the largest number of HIV patients. In 2018 1176 adults and adolescents were living with HIV in Idaho. The rate of people living with HIV per 100,000 population was 82.

Age, Gender, Ethnicity Profile

In 2016, 6,706 cases of STD infections were reported in Idaho. This means roughly 4 infections/1,000 Idahoans. However, the primary issue of concern for the Idaho State government is that the rate of STDs has been rising among teens and young adults across the state. Reportedly, Idahoans aged 15-29 are the most vulnerable group for chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. Over three-quarters of chlamydia cases and around two-thirds of gonorrhea cases were diagnosed in 15-29-year-old Idahoans. Moreover, early syphilis and HIV infections affected a wider age range in the state.

About one in every ten syphilis infections during 2016 were reported in men, accounting for 86% of all cases. Compared to gonorrhea and chlamydia, early syphilis infections were highly prevalent among people aged 20-34. Over half of all infections, reportedly, were among the same age group, and one-third of syphilis cases were diagnosed in people aged 25-34 years.

In 2015, the state had the 38th highest rate of chlamydia diagnoses among people age 15–19 in the country, with an infection rate of 1,452 cases/100,000 people. There were around 1,666 chlamydia cases in people between the age 15-19. The state had the 49th highest rate of reported gonorrhea cases among the same age group compared to the national average, with an infection rate of 47.1 cases/100,000.

Also, in 2015, 54 gonorrhea cases were reported among young people aged 15–19 in Idaho. Furthermore, regarding syphilis, the state had the 46th highest rate of primary and secondary syphilis cases, but just 1 case was identified in 15–19 age group.

In 2015, around 30% of female high schoolers and 29% of male students reported being sexually active, which was higher than the national average of 29% female and 30% male high schoolers. About 29% of Hispanic high schoolers and 30% of whites in Idaho, reportedly, were sexually active, whereas 30% of Hispanics and 30.3% of white high schoolers in the country reportedly were sexually active.

Around 40% of white high school students reported not using condoms. Approximately 2.6% of whites and 5.3% of Hispanic high school students reported having sexual intercourse before turning 13; 91.2% of female high school students and 92% of male students in Idaho reported never been tested for HIV, while 91% of Hispanics and 91.8% of white high schoolers reported never been tested for HIV.

HIV-Specific Data

According to a report by AIDSVu, the total number of individuals living with HIV in Idaho during the year 2018 was 1176, of which 37 alone were newly diagnosed during the same year. The rate of people living with HIV per 100,000 population during 2018 was 82.

Considering the AIDSVu report, 80.7% of the total people living with HIV were males, while 19.3% were females. White Americans were mainly affected by the virus, so 68.2% of the total positive cases were White Americans, followed by 16.3%Hispanic or Latin individuals, and 9.2% of the cases were Black Americans. The prevalence of the virus was found more in people above 55 years of age (38 %).

During 2018 the total number of HIV-related mortalities in Idaho was 13, while the rate of HIV-related deaths per 100,000 population was 1. The most common mode of transmission of the virus in males was male to male sexual contact (68.5%) while the most common modes of transmission of HIV in females was heterosexual contact (66.5%).

Government Initiatives

The top priorities of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare are to improve outreach and ensure comprehensive STD education. Part of its efforts is health districts across the state and community business organizations. The department continually launches STD prevention and awareness initiatives despite the reduction in national funding for such programs.

There are seven health districts in Idaho, all of which work closely with the state health department to offer to fund for education and outreach, training assistance, and increase testing resources for the districts. By collaborating with community-based organizations in Idaho, the department offers free testing opportunities to individuals and free condoms to the districts. It also provides training on STDs so that health care professionals can determine local and national trends and get familiar with any new treatment options.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers school-based HIV/STD prevention programs, which include initiatives like providing funding and technical assistance to local and state educational agencies via different funding streams. CDC’s program aims to ensure better student health, collect/report data on risk behaviors of young people, implement HIV/STD prevention programs, and expand capacity-building.

In 2017, the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) provided funding to 18 state education agencies and 17 school districts to help them strengthen student health via exemplary sexual health education (ESHE). This includes a more profound emphasis on HIV and STD prevention strategies, increased access to critical sexual health services, and establishing safe and supportive environments for students and staff. To achieve these goals, DASH funded six NGOs to help state and local educational agencies.

Moreover, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare manages the state’s PREP grant along with eight sub-grantees. The programming takes place in schools and community-based settings. Its main targets are students in grades 9-12, mainly Latinos aged between 12-18, and young people in rural areas in Ada, Minidoka, Gooding, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Shoshone, Twin Falls, Canyon, Cassia, Elmore, Nez Perce, Owyhee, Payette, and Valley counties.

HIV initiatives in Idaho

As a part of the bigger plan to make America an HIV-free country, there have been several state and federal initiatives that constantly work for facilitating HIV patients in numerous ways and streamlining the treatment opportunities.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has a few programs specially designed to spread awareness and provide HIV prevention interventions to Idaho residents. These preventive interventions include HIV counseling, testing, and referral services in both clinical and community settings. The department has a program for condom distribution to avoid the transmission of virus due to unprotected sexual contact and provision of Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Prep is the medication made available by the IDAHO Department of Health and Welfare for reducing the risk of contracting HIV through sexual contact. The medication, however, does not guarantee total protection against this virus. Hence a regular screening is essential too.

AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, ADAP, Idaho is a federally funded initiative that ensures essential medications and treatment services to people living with HIV/AIDS belonging to low-income groups.

Idaho Housing and Finance Association provides various financial assistance services and housing opportunities to the low-income groups of people living with HIV. The financial assistance program involves retaining the affected individual/family's current house financially by paying rent.

Ryan White Part B is a federal funding program that funds state-level organizations that provide treatment and other support services to individuals living with HIV. The program gives funds for medical insurance, treatment, rental support to retain houses, and other services such as transportation to and from the hospital, counseling, and other awareness sessions for the general public.