A sexual health alert has been issued in 19 US cities, in a bid to combat the spread of a ‘super’ sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Billboards have been erected in encouraging people to get tested for gonorrhea. It comes as case numbers of the STI are at the highest level in the States since the 1990s, now at 700,000-a-year.
The sharp rise in infections has prompted the Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF), to place the billboards in 11 different states across the country. The striking adverts show a Titanic-like ship colliding with an iceberg, which the non-profit organisation says is supposed to represent the unforseen consequences of an infection.
READ MORE: Four main signs of gonorrhoea as STI cases reach record high
Emblazoned in large letters across the ads are the words “drug-resistant gonorrhea alert” in addition to the web address freeSTDcheck.org that Americans can follow to find out how to get a free test for the STI.
The awareness campaign comes after a strain of super-gonorrhea — resistant to nearly all antibiotics — was identified in Boston, Massachusetts. Gonorrhoea is easily passed between people through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex and sharing vibrators or other sex toys that have not been washed or covered with a new condom each time they’re used.
Typical symptoms include a thick green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis, pain when peeing and, in women, bleeding between periods. But around 1 in 10 infected men and almost half of infected women do not experience any symptoms.
Testing for gonorrhea is important because it can lead to serious long-term health problems if not treated such as pelvic inflammatory disease in women or infertility.
AHF’s western regional director, Marcelino Alcorta, said the billboards are intended to encourage someone to search online for how to get tested. Speaking to the Seattle Times, they said: “The billboards go a long way toward someone Googling something or scheduling something with a provider.
“There’s also value in asking a question, and if they’re among friends, hopefully, there is someone among their friend group who could start a conversation.”
Los Angeles, in California, has the most billboards with 11 followed by Baton Rouge in Louisiana, and Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, with seven each. Seven of the 19 cities with billboards – Broward, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola and Saint Petersburg – are in Florida.
