Fewer People Testing For STDs Though Number of Positive Cases Up - WBBM NewsRadio

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CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Statewide, the number of people who tested positive for chlamydia in the first three months of this year was about half the number of positives from 2019.

Illinois health officials said fewer people are being tested this year.  

Here in Chicago, Chad Hendry, director of sexual and reproductive health at Howard Brown Health, is seeing the same thing: fewer people being tested for sexually transmitted infections.

“Over the last two months for gonorrhea and chlamydia, the numbers have dramatically decreased. Probably between 44 to 48 percent as compared to the same time last year," Hendry said. 

But the percentage of positives is a different story: Hendry said more of those who are being tested for STIs are testing positive -- a higher percentage of positives than last year at this time.

Probably, he said, because of COVID-19 fears or whatever, they don’t come in to be tested unless they have symptoms.

Hendry said for a couple of weeks, Howard Brown has offered free at-home HIV tests. He said they’ve had 150 requests for those tests, most of them since last Friday.

“It’s been very successful.  In fact, we’re getting a lot of folks requesting that aren’t even in the Chicago area, who may not have access to regular HIV screening otherwise,”​ Hendry said. 



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