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Rising STI rates in rural communities could be a sign of increased awareness

Representatives of Central Illinois Friends sit outside of their mobile wellness unit during a Peoria Pride event in July.
Central Illinois Friends
/
Facebook
Representatives of Central Illinois Friends sit outside of their mobile wellness unit during a Peoria Pride event in July.

Tazewell County diagnoses 10 new sexually transmitted infections a week on average.

That's according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Reports from the Tazewell County Health Department, currently updated through 2022, offer deeper context into the statistic.

A majority of those 10 diagnoses will be for someone between the age of 15 and 24. In fact, the health department even lists being young as a risk factor on their website.

“I think, especially in more rural communities [young people] aren’t exposed to it as frequently because there aren’t as many people around to talk to,” said Ella Dancey, a health education specialist at the Hult Center for Healthy Living. “And then they don’t have the motivation to go out and research it and find that information for themselves.”

As an educator on sexual health, who works by request in public schools, Dancey has seen first hand how the information that teens seek on their own can go wrong.

The Hult Center for Healthy Living is a health education center in Peoria, which provides classes on nutrition, sexual health and more to school-age kids all throughout the Greater Peoria area. This is the sign and facade of their building.
Collin Schopp
/
WCBU
The Hult Center for Healthy Living is a health education center in Peoria, which provides classes on nutrition, sexual health and more to school-age kids all throughout the Greater Peoria area. This is the sign and facade of their building.

“I would say, probably, at least 50% of any sixth grader classes that I talk to don’t know that pregnancy doesn’t happen literally in the stomach where the food goes,” she said. “Half the kids. One of the first programs I taught, a kid asked me: ‘if a woman is pregnant and eats broccoli, will the broccoli hit the baby in the head?’”

Since 2019, major news outlets have tracked growing instances of sexually transmitted infections [STI’s] like Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis in rural areas. Data provided by the Tazewell County Health Department shows similar trends. Communication and Health Specialist J.D. Raucci said the health department is taking steps to fight the climbing numbers.

“We offer STD testing, we also offer HPV vaccinations and those can be billed through insurance, we also have cash prices for those as well,” he said. “Those are just a couple of things we do at the health department.”

However, department officials warn against jumping to conclusions.

Epidemiologist Megan Hanley said rising numbers don't necessarily mean young people are engaging in more risky sexual behavior. It could also mean that more people are getting tested, which she says is actually a good thing.

As educator Ella Dancey points out, more information about who’s getting tested could provide more clarity about the real trends. Is it their first time testing? Are they asymptomatic?

Getting to the point where numbers stabilize, and even begin to drop, is where organizations like Central Illinois Friends and their mobile testing sites come in.

Central Illinois Friends' Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator Selena Pappas at the WCBU Studios.
Collin Schopp
/
WCBU
Central Illinois Friends' Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator Selena Pappas at the WCBU Studios.

Selena Pappas is CI Friends' public relations and marketing coordinator. While more offerings at health departments can help, there can still be some barriers.

“I might not feel comfortable going to the health department in my town of 4,000, because maybe my aunt, or my cousin, or my brother, or any other person that I might know in my personal life works there,” Pappas said as an example. “And I walk in and say, ‘I need to get tested for Syphilis,” well, now Aunt Becky knows that I might have Syphilis.”

CI Friends looks to provide a solution to this problem with its mobile testing site. The fully outfitted bus travels the Greater Peoria area, attending health fairs, public events, setting up outside of health departments and government buildings.

“That can range anywhere from two to three people to, I know we’ve been at events where we tested as many as, like, 15 to 20 in a day,” Pappas said.

Pappas and Dancey both say that addressing this issue starts with chipping away at the problem of stigma. Dancey said when somebody carries that fear of judgment or questions about their sexuality, they're far less likely to get regularly tested until an infection becomes a serious medical emergency for themselves or others they've passed it to.

Dancey thinks there's been some progress on lessening that fear. She has some students who are already well equipped with information from parents.

“That’s not to say that it’s not still a huge issue,” she said. “It definitely is. The majority of people, I think, are very uncomfortable discussing the topic. When I tell them what my job is, I get a lot of wide eyes. But I think things, in general, are improving.”

And Pappas thinks other factors, like the increasing prevalence of the medicine PREP as a preventative for contracting and transmitting HIV, are also building toward improvement.

A sign outside the Tazewell County Health Department, just outside of Tremont. The Health Department offers STD testing and HPV vaccinations either billed through insurance or with a cash price.
Collin Schopp
/
WCBU
A sign outside the Tazewell County Health Department, just outside of Tremont. The Health Department offers STD testing and HPV vaccinations either billed through insurance or with a cash price.

Ultimately, Pappas said knowledge is power, and she recommends testing early and often to keep yourself, and your community, safe.

Collin Schopp is a reporter at WCBU. He joined the station in 2022.