Certain Sexually Transmitted Infections decrease by 30 percent during pandemic in Carson, Douglas; Lyon doubles
While Health Data the past two years has been focused on COVID-19 and its increase of transmission rates, another transmission has seen a staggering fall in numbers within the Quad-County region: sexually transmitted infections.
According to the Carson City Board of Health Director’s Report, presented during the Oct. 7 Board of Supervisors meeting on Thursday, the numbers of STIs, specifically Syphilis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, had been steadily climbing in recent years, up until 2020.
According to Dr. Colleen Lyons, Carson City Health Director, the substantial drop could be due to a few reasons: one, that due to social distancing and the closure of some businesses, socializing decreased and therefore so did the rate of transmission.
The second theory could be that less people were accessing their private providers, and therefore there are undiagnosed cases that have yet to seek help.
In Carson City, there was a 27 percent drop in Chlamydia cases, and no change for Gonorrhea, despite reporting steady increases every year.
In Douglas County, there was a 28 percent drop in Chlamydia, while there was similarly no change in Gonorrhea.
However, Lyon County saw no change in Chlamydia numbers, and their Gonorrhea numbers doubled from 2019, according to Dr. Lyons, who stated they had not yet determined the reason behind the increase.
The numbers:
There were less than five reported cases of Syphilis in any of the counties throughout any reported year.
2016:
There were 24 reported cases of Gonorrhea in Carson City; in Douglas: 14; and Lyon: 17.
There were 296 reported cases of Chlamydia in Carson City; in Douglas: 82; and in Lyon: 136.
2018:
There were 83 reported cases of Gonorrhea in Carson City; in Douglas: 18; and in Lyon: 42.
There were 274 reported cases of Chlamydia in Carson City; in Douglas: 118; and in Lyon: 194.
2020:
There were 43 reported cases of Gonorrhea in Carson City; in Douglas: 26; and in Lyon: 67.
There were 188 reported cases of Chlamydia in Carson City; in Douglas: 81; and in Lyon: 175.
“We don’t know for sure what it means, but it’s interesting when comparing it to Lyon County, which did not see the drops and actually saw doubling in one of those diagnoses categories,” said Dr. Lyons.
The CCHHS staff has continued working diligently for the community both before and after the pandemic began, offering family planning services, STI services, vaccinations, health and wellness check ups, and more. CCHHS Clinic Staff saw 637 client visits within the family planning clinic just between the months of June and August in 2021.
The Health and Human Services Report can be read in its entirety by clicking here, which starts on page 579.