Sacramento County reports higher rates of STIs, HIV, public health information shows
Sacramento County has reported higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and HIV cases compared to California’s average, according to a report shared with the Board of Supervisors Tuesday afternoon.
Olivia Kasirye, the county health officer, said Sacramento has one of the highest rates out of any county in the U.S. Sacramento County ranks 16th in chlamydia and 12th in syphilis rates out of the 58 counties in California, according to Sacramento County Public Health.
Sacramento County is classified as a “transport corridor” due to the high volume of highways and frequent travel, and there is an increased risk of transmission, Kasirye said.
“This is where you find the larger counties that have a higher density in population,” Kasirye said. “Also with the freeways, there’s more travel, more people meeting up, especially when its anonymous. That increases the risk for transmission.”
If an infection goes untreated, the disease could lead to severe medical complications, Kasirye said. For example, if a person is pregnant with an STI, it could affect the unborn child and lead to blindness or death. STIs can also lead to infertility and a higher risk of cancer as well HIV infection, according to the American Society for Microbiology.
To combat high rates of STIs, Sacramento County has several sexual health programs. This initiatives include a sexual health clinic, a mobile clinic for homeless residents called Wellness Without Walls and SacWISH, a collaboration effort that connects 155 community organizations with services. The county also utilizes a prevention surveillance service aligned with the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act.
Barriers to STI care, federal funding
Kasirye also highlighted other barriers for county residents to accessing care. She referenced working with one patient who had to take regional transit to get to her appointment. But due to her bus and lightrail train both running on delays, the patient missed her appointment.
Fortunately for her, the clinic was able to accommodate her tardiness, Kasirye said. But not every clinic would be able to meet that patient’s specific need. She added that funding through the county’s Wellness Without Walls, could further remove transportation barriers to receiving care.
The county’s STI/HIV centered programs currently receives about $1.9 million in revenue from the county’s general fund, with 25% allocated towards county clinics. About $11.3 million goes to the program through federal and state funds, Kasirye added.
With the majority of these programs receiving federal funds, Supervisor Patrick Kennedy addressed concern about the reliability of future federal funding because of the ideologies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current Health and Human Services secretary.
On Tuesday, Robert F. Kennedy removed vaccine experts on the White House’s Centers for Disease Control vaccine panel, according to The New York Times.
Patrick Kennedy added that the county is “heavily dependent” on federal funds.
“We’re in danger of losing funds that are vitally important, because these are all areas that are preventable and treatable,” he said.
“We can’t think that we’re no longer in the in the AIDS epidemic, and therefore we can sit back and just let things happen.”
