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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
DESIGNATING APRIL AS STI AWARENESS MONTH AND APRIL 14-20, 2023 AS STI AWARENESS WEEK IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, April is designated as National STI Awareness Month; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control designates the 2nd week in April as STI Awareness Week with the theme with the theme Talk, Test, Treat, an opportunity to raise awareness about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and how they impact our lives; reduce STI-related stigma, fear, and discrimination; and ensure people have the tools and knowledge for prevention, testing, and treatment; and
WHEREAS, anyone who is sexually active can get an STI, so it is important to learn more about them and how to minimize your exposure to STIs and take care of your sexual health; and
WHEREAS, according to the CDC, the STI epidemic continues to worsen, and the 2022 Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Surveillance Report underscores that STIs must be a public health priority as more than 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in the United States, the 7th time in 8 years that the total number of reported cases was higher than the previous year; and
WHEREAS, according to the 2022 report, 50.5% of reported cases of STIs occurred among adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 years. The report also showed significant disparities in rates of reported STIs, including among gay and bisexual men, younger people and certain racial minority groups with 31% of all cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and P&S syphilis reported among non-Hispanic Black people, even though they made up only approximately 12% of the U.S. population, and Native American or Alaska Native people made up 3.6% of all congenital syphilis cases despite contributing to less than 1% of all live births in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that about 20 percent of the U.S. population, approximately one in five people in the U.S. had an STI on any given day in 2018, and STIs acquired that year cost the American health care system nearly $16 billion in health care costs alone; and
WHEREAS, there are 20 million new STD cases in the U.S. every year. since 2000, national data shows an increase in chlamydia of 132%, gonorrhea 96%, and syphilis of 459%, and for pregnant people and their infants, congenital syphilis has increased 203% since 2017; and
WHEREAS, without treatment, STIs can lead to serious health problems such as severe pain, pregnancy outside the uterus, infertility, loss of eye sight, birth defects, certain types of cancers, an up to 5-fold increased risk of HIV transmission and even death, but the good news is that getting tested is easy, and most STIs can be successfully treated; and
WHEREAS, Illinois currently ranks 11th in the nation for chlamydia infections, 15th for gonorrhea infections, 29th for primary and secondary syphilis infections, 27th for congenital syphilis, and 6th for Mpox infections; and
WHEREAS, public health officials stress that individuals can lower the chance of contracting STIs by limiting the number of sexual partners, getting vaccinated for vaccine preventable conditions such as HPV and Mpox virus, frequent testing and practicing safe sex; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that this esteemed body in conjunction with National STI Awareness Week and STI Awareness Month hereby recognizes and commemorates April 14-20 , as STI Awareness Week and April 2024 as STI Awareness Month in Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this body encourages individuals, organizations, and communities to actively participate in raising awareness about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and how they impact our lives; how to reduce STI-related stigma, fear, and discrimination; and ensure people have the tools and knowledge for prevention, testing, and treatment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body.
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