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PR-04/06/2006: Free Drop-In Clinic on First Bay Area STD Screening Day April 12

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 6, 2006 San Mateo County Health Department Contact: Beverly Thames, (650) 573-3935 SAN MATEO COUNTY OFFERING FREE DROP-IN STD CLINIC ON THE FIRST EVER BAY AREA SCREENING DAY APRIL 12 SAN MATEO, CA -- In recognition of National Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month, the San Mateo County Health Department's STD Control Program is collaborating with local Bay Area counties to highlight the first ever Bay Area STD Screening Day on Wednesday, April 12, 2006. On that day, San Mateo County's STD Clinic will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. for drop-in STD screening. The clinic is located at the San Mateo Medical Center's Edison Clinic on 222 West 39th Avenue in San Mateo. The STD Clinic is also open Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. No appointments are necessary. Donations are appreciated, but no one will be turned away because of inability to pay. For more information, call (650) 573-2999. "According to our 2004 report, 80 percent of the women with chlamydia were between 15- and 30-years of age," said Dr. Dorothy Vura-Weis, San Mateo County Assistant Health Officer. "The Health Department encourages sexually active women to get tested for chlamydia, especially those in this age group. A simple urine test can save a woman from serious infection, pregnancy problems, and chronic pain." Bacterial STDs are curable, and treatment decreases your risk of acquiring HIV. Chlamydia, a bacterial STD, is the most frequently reported STD in San Mateo County and nationally. Among women, chlamydial infections are a common cause of pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Since 2000, the incidence of reported chlamydia in San Mateo County has risen steadily. From 1998 to 2002, females comprised 74 percent of all reported chlamydia cases. Among both males and females, Blacks and Hispanics have chlamydia incidence rates higher than Whites or Asians. The incidence of chlamydia is highest in teens and young adults. Both chlamydia and gonorrhea can be easily diagnosed through a urine test and cured with antibiotics. # # #