April is STD Awareness Month, and most recent data shows that sexually transmitted disease cases continue to increase in Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Public Health states that from 2017 to 2018, cases of chlamydia increased by 5.8%, cases of gonorrhea increased by 28.3%, while cases of syphilis decreased by 1.7%. Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber says a vital way to protect people’s health and that of their sexual partners is to talk about STDs and get informed.

“The health department here and the health departments throughout the state are really working hard to get that educational material to our schools, and then also to put access to those resources like condoms and other things like that in the public’s place that they can access them without feeling like, ‘Oh my goodness I’m coming here to get a condom,’ or what-not. So the health department provides those for free and then we place those especially at some of our bigger events throughout the year and in places where people can access those.”

Arber predicts that STD cases may decrease in the county due to an aging population while cases increase in metro cities. However as cases continue to increase across the nation, Arber advises those sexually active to use contraceptives and to get regularly tested by a physician.