As of 2012, try Richmond has the second highest rates of Chlamydia, salve gonorrhea and HIV in the state of Virginia. The city is ranked first for reported syphilis cases. Nationally, Richmond is ranked in the top 25 metropolitan areas where it rivals cities like Houston and Washington, D.C. Statistics like these and more are reasons that the Richmond City Health District and the Virginia Department of Health take STD Awareness Month so seriously.

“Chlamydia and gonorrhea are most common among persons between the ages of 15-24.  Rates of syphilis are more prevalent in those between the ages of 20-29.  HIV disease is seen across all races/ethnicities and age groups with African Americans accounting for the majority of reported cases,” said Pamela D. Price, HIV/STI program supervisor with the RCHD.

Price also adds that these statistics add more risk to being sexually active. “It is important to note that while Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the more prevalent diseases and are treatable, they increase the chance of HIV transmission by five times.  Meaning persons who have been infected with Chlamydia and/or gonorrhea are five times more likely to become infected with HIV if they are exposed than a person who has never been infected.”

While these statistics hold true, RCHD and VDH are doing all that they can to ensure that these diseases do not spread in the community. The health district has a Center for Disease Control grant-funded program called Community Approaches to Reducing STDs (CARS). The program was founded in 2011 to help support increased involvement and participation from Richmond community leaders and community organizations in finding effective ways to address this new trend in the city.

“The goal of CARS is to engage the community and, with their input, identify ways of addressing social determinants of health in an effort to reduce the overall burden of STDs in the city and to strive for health equity,” Price said. “Additionally, the HIV/STI program also performs case management activities that help to locate and notify persons who have possibly been exposed to an STD or HIV and offer testing and treatment.”

Organizations that assist in the effort to decrease the STD statistics in Richmond include: Minority Health Consortium, Fan Free Clinic, and Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, and the VCU HIV/AIDS Center. Price added that the program’s initiative has been working because more people have been going to clinics around the city to get tested and know their status. “RCHD is working with local partners, including our universities and colleges, to create peer networks and implement various evidenced-based interventions in target populations, like African Americans,” she said.

The CARS program also works regionally, hosting and participating in different events to address the high disease rates in the city and state. According to Price, these activities include testing, education and other year-round services. During the month of April, RCHD will be providing STI testing and education at high schools, universities and community-based locations in Richmond. “These interventions are designed to create behavior change and social norms related to STDs and HIV as a means to reduce disease rates.”

As far as its effect on African Americans specifically, the latest statistics show that the African American population is more significantly impacted from STDs and HIV than their white or other minority counterparts. According to the VDH, Blacks account for more than 70 percent of all Chlamydia cases reported. With gonorrhea, Blacks are 15 times more likely to contract it than whites. With HIV and syphilis, Blacks account for more than half the reported cases. “These health disparities are inextricably linked to a complex blend of socioeconomic determinants of health, such as income, health care access, social support, and stigma,” Price said.

This means that because of a lack of awareness, Blacks are more likely to get infected simply because they do not know or understand the consequences of their sexual actions. This is why Price and the VDH are working so hard to ensure that all of those in every community, no matter the economic condition, are fully aware of the diseases, symptoms, and resources for fighting them.

According to the CDC, the reasons why African Americans are less aware than other racial groups is because of their social environment. “African Americans tend to choose sex partners within their own communities, they face greater chance of infection with each sexual encounter,” the CDC said in a 2012 informational pamphlet. “In fact, research suggests that a person in an African American community who has only one sex partner has greater risk of acquiring an STD than someone in the white population with multiple sex partners.”

These findings are astounding because they show that African Americans contain the disease within their community and because of a lack of awareness, the individuals who do move away and carry the diseases with them spread it to a new community.

Another big problem with the African American community in Richmond is that a large majority are under the poverty line. In a city where 50.4 percent of the population is Black, 26.7 percent of the total population is under the poverty line. The majority of people under the poverty line in Richmond are African Americans. The CDC states that this greatly affects the spread of STDs, because they can’t afford quality and accessible healthcare, which makes it difficult to receive testing or education on the STDs. As of 2012, one in five African Americans did not have health insurance.

These statistics and findings are reasons why Price and the VDH are so adamant about fighting STDs within the African American community of Richmond. College-aged African Americans are also at a higher risk for exposure to an STD or HIV than their white counterparts.  This is why universities offer free testing to students. Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond, Virginia Union University, and Virginia State University offer STD/HIV testing for students free of charge in order to decrease the amount of students who have STDs. Similar to African Americans, college students tend to stick to their own communities and lack health insurance.

Price states that because of these alarming statistics in both African American and college-aged communities, STD awareness needs to be a year-round event, not just a one month a year type of occasion. “STDs and HIV disease among all persons living in Richmond are a major concern and focus for the RCHD and VDH.  We feel that the best approaches to truly addressing the factors that contribute to these rates will require more involvement from leaders with our communities, especially those in the African American community,” Price said.

She also adds that these diseases are 100 percent preventable, because abstaining from having sex or getting regularly tested every six months to a year can help decrease the number of cases seen in Richmond. “We want to encourage people to get tested, know their status, and get educated.  It’s important that people do not assume they are negative because of their age or their relationship status,” she said. “You need to know what the risks are and have a realistic plan based on your lifestyle to prevent becoming infected.”