Let’s talk about sex.

Sexually transmitted disease rates have increased nationwide, especially among women and minorities according to a January 2009 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite the national increase, DeKalb County has seen a decrease in the amount of STD rates from 2007 to 2008 said Lorna Schmidt, a registered nurse at DeKalb County Health Department.

“As a trend, the rates are increasing,” Schmidt said.

According to a Jan. 13 press release by the Illinois Department of Public Health, “Illinois ranks 10th among the 50 states in 2007 for chlamydia with a rate of 432.2 cases per 100,000 people. Illinois ranked 9th for gonorrhea with a rate of 162.2 cases per 100,000 people and 16th for syphilis at a rate of 3.6 cases per 100,000 people.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health’s Web site states, “STDs tend to be more severe and more frequent for women than for men, in part because for women there are often no visible symptoms, so they do not seek care until serious problems have developed.”

Schmidt credits yearly women’s health appointments to early detection and treatment of STDs.

“Women are generally diagnosed more than men because they seek out health care with yearly visits,” Schmidt said.

Students at NIU have taken advantage of the Condom Availability Program, established in 1989, which is run by NIU’s Health Enhancement Department.

“NIU students are doing better than the national average with [condom] usage rates at 51.9 percent in 2007, up from 43.6 percent in 2002, a 19 percent increase,” said Steve Lux, a health educator for NIU.

“I think people overall are more educated about condom use,” Schmidt said.

The condoms offered at NIU come from a central supply company in California that has access to almost every condom in the U.S., Lux said, and NIU offers 12 different types of condoms at various locations throughout campus.

“Condoms are available ... from a residence hall CA, if the CA is willing to participate in our program, and they can get them at our outreach sites in the Holmes Student Center and residence halls,” Lux said.

However, Lux feels there is always room to improve on NIU’s statistics of condom usage.

“Of course we’d like people to use condoms at a higher rate to avoid transmission of STI’s (Sexually Transmitted Infection),” Lux said.

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