COLUMBIA, S.C. — According to a new study, Columbia ranks in the top 21 cities in the nation for high sexually transmitted disease rates.
According to the latest study from Innerbody, a health research organization, the City of Columbia ranks number 21 out of the top 100 cities in the United States for STD and HIV rates.
The numbers show there are more than 1,166 std cases per 100,000 people in the city, with the highest contracted diseases being gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Bernard Gilliard, the state program manager for STD and HIV, said he is not surprised about Columbia's ranking.
"There are typically certain southern metropolitan areas, Charlotte, Columbia, Atlanta, that typically are in that top collect," Gilliard explained. "These are major gathering places and hubs where individuals come together to either meet and or engage in other activities, some come to live, and others pass through. That's a main draw, as well as sometimes the environment its largest city offers more options, socialization options, that are perhaps less stigmatized or less focused on clubs, bars, venues for, you know, nightlife activities and such."
He said the top age groups for contracting STDs range from 18-35, but routine STD testing is encouraged for people 18-24.
Gilliard said DHEC offers testing for everyone who needs it.
"On a day-to-day basis, we have at least one STI clinic site in each of our 46 counties, commonly called public health clinics. They're housed in county health departments... They operate typically five days a week, Monday through Friday, 8:00 or 8:30 till about 4 or 4:30," Gilliard said.
Although testing is available, Gilliard said many cases go unreported and testing that should happen but does not.
Sex educator Tammaka Staley is the leader of the organization YASE, or youth-affirming sex education. That serves teens and pre-teens in the Carolinas.
She said talking about sex is the best way to curb the spread of STDs.
"Once adults start getting real about the root of the issue of why we don't want to talk about sex, why we don't want to talk about getting tested, so let's get to the root of that then we can start modeling for our children, like 'this is what happens', 'this is what you're supposed to do as a responsible adult when you are ready to have sex, and when you are of the consenting age to do so, this is what you're supposed to do to protect yourself," Staley said.
DHEC has an STD and HIV hotline that you can call for help finding testing at 1-800-322-2437 and a guide for finding local testing and PrEP.