Berrien County Health Department Battles Record High STD Numbers

health-department

By Doug Cunningham

The Berrien County Health Department’s efforts to protect the public from sexually transmitted diseases isn’t always embraced by everyone. Health Department spokesperson Gillian Conrad says STDs are rising here and across America.

“We know that sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise, not only here in Berrien County but across the country. The CDC just issued a report very recently that STD rates have skyrocketed and are at all-time highs across the country.”

One the target populations to educate and protect against STD’s are young people, but Conrad says that outreach effort can be controversial.

“It is not always welcomed across the board to be providing that sort of education or spreading that message, especially for younger people. Here in our clinic we are able to see teenagers 13 and older without parental consent, and we do.”

Conrad says in the interests of public health the county health department must continue to educate and inform about sexually transmitted diseases and how to protect yourself against them.