Chlamydia cases have more than doubled in Appleton during the past decade, a report from the city’s health department shows.
That finding along with persistent problems with women smoking during pregnancy and an uptick in vaccine-preventable diseases help shape local health policy for hospitals and public resources.
The city’s health report card shows 277 chlamydia cases in 2013, up from 129 in 2003. That rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents, slightly lower than the state rate of 4 per 1,000.
Most people with chlamydia aren't aware they have it because the disease often doesn't have symptoms. It’s the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease nationwide, said Kurt Eggebrecht, Appleton’s health officer.
It can spread quietly among men and women, but can easily be cured with antibiotics, he said.
Sexually active females 25 and younger should be tested every year, Eggebrecht said. The disease can lead to problems as a woman ages, and can cause difficulties in getting pregnant. The good news: It’s easy to cure, unlike many STDs.
Statewide, chlamydia infections rose from 17,780 to 23,204 or a rate of 3.2 to 4.1 per 1,000 residents in the last decade. Nationwide, the rate during that time period increased from 3 to 4.6 per 1,000, according to the state’s Department of Health Services.
Some of the increase in the Fox Cities and nationally is due to improved testing methods, said Claire Smith, spokeswoman for the Department of Health Services.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that states could expect to see as much as a 25 percent increase in the number of infections reported due to the use of more sensitive methods,” Smith wrote in an email to Post-Crescent Media.
This impact was first observed in Wisconsin in 2003-2004, when the number of reported cases increased from 17,780 to 19,621.
Smoking by Pregnant Women
The annual report by the city’s health department shows that 203 of 967 (21 percent) pregnant Appleton women reported smoking during their pregnancy last year.
Eggebrecht said public health nurses work hard to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide and nicotine consumed during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester.
“Just like good nutrition, a good source of oxygen is very important,” Eggebrecht said. “If you can’t completely quit, a significant reduction in consumption shows some benefits.”
Smoking can cause low birth weight of new babies. The report shows that about 9 percent of the babies born to mothers who smoked were born under the 2,500 gram benchmark.
Dr. Mark Hallett, senior medical director at ThedaCare, a Fox Cities-based health system, said the percentage of mothers who smoke isn’t surprising, given the size of the overall smoking population, which stands at about 19 percent nationwide.
“But it’s definitely concerning from the standpoint of low birth weight and other problems with maternal smoking,” Hallett said. “I would hope the fact that a mom could be smoking for two would be an incentive for her to quit.”
Statewide in 2012, about 14 percent of 67,229 pregnant moms smoked, state DHS data shows.
Chicken pox, pertussis returns
Another area for concern in the report is the uptick in vaccine preventable diseases, Hallett said.
The city reported 12 cases of chickenpox in 2013, along with 22 cases of pertussis. There were no cases of measles or mumps.
“It’s really clear that it can become serious in small number of people,” Hallett said. “I would hope parents would consider the advice of doctors and nurses more so than misinformation from celebrity figures.”
Eggebrecht said parents who opt out of vaccinations are putting the entire community at risk.
Positive Indicators
Appleton is embracing a more physically active lifestyle and along with the smoking ban emacted in 2005 it could be having an impact on death statistics, Eggebrecht said.
Heart attacks and strokes claimed more lives in 2013 than other causes, but the trend is in the right direction, he said.
“I see an uptick in walking, riding bikes and attending restaurants that have healthier food options,” Eggebrecht said. “We need to be asking ourselves about our daily choices: did I get 45 minutes of exercise, eat right, smoke, and how much sleep did I get?”
A reduction in gastrointestinal diseases was another positive point in the report, Hallett said.
Cases involving salmonella, a bacteria, and giardia, a parasite, were both down in the past decade. However, cases tied to cryptosporidium, a parasite found in pools and lakes, were up from 3 in 2003 to 12 last year.
“Crypto is more resistant to chlorine than giardia,” Hallett said. “I think people have gotten message they shouldn’t drink water from streams in Wisconsin, but the big key is also not to swim when there could be diarrhea in the water.”
Source: http://www.postcrescent.com/
That finding along with persistent problems with women smoking during pregnancy and an uptick in vaccine-preventable diseases help shape local health policy for hospitals and public resources.
The city’s health report card shows 277 chlamydia cases in 2013, up from 129 in 2003. That rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents, slightly lower than the state rate of 4 per 1,000.
Most people with chlamydia aren't aware they have it because the disease often doesn't have symptoms. It’s the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease nationwide, said Kurt Eggebrecht, Appleton’s health officer.
It can spread quietly among men and women, but can easily be cured with antibiotics, he said.
Sexually active females 25 and younger should be tested every year, Eggebrecht said. The disease can lead to problems as a woman ages, and can cause difficulties in getting pregnant. The good news: It’s easy to cure, unlike many STDs.
Statewide, chlamydia infections rose from 17,780 to 23,204 or a rate of 3.2 to 4.1 per 1,000 residents in the last decade. Nationwide, the rate during that time period increased from 3 to 4.6 per 1,000, according to the state’s Department of Health Services.
Some of the increase in the Fox Cities and nationally is due to improved testing methods, said Claire Smith, spokeswoman for the Department of Health Services.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that states could expect to see as much as a 25 percent increase in the number of infections reported due to the use of more sensitive methods,” Smith wrote in an email to Post-Crescent Media.
This impact was first observed in Wisconsin in 2003-2004, when the number of reported cases increased from 17,780 to 19,621.
Smoking by Pregnant Women
The annual report by the city’s health department shows that 203 of 967 (21 percent) pregnant Appleton women reported smoking during their pregnancy last year.
Eggebrecht said public health nurses work hard to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide and nicotine consumed during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester.
“Just like good nutrition, a good source of oxygen is very important,” Eggebrecht said. “If you can’t completely quit, a significant reduction in consumption shows some benefits.”
Smoking can cause low birth weight of new babies. The report shows that about 9 percent of the babies born to mothers who smoked were born under the 2,500 gram benchmark.
Dr. Mark Hallett, senior medical director at ThedaCare, a Fox Cities-based health system, said the percentage of mothers who smoke isn’t surprising, given the size of the overall smoking population, which stands at about 19 percent nationwide.
“But it’s definitely concerning from the standpoint of low birth weight and other problems with maternal smoking,” Hallett said. “I would hope the fact that a mom could be smoking for two would be an incentive for her to quit.”
Statewide in 2012, about 14 percent of 67,229 pregnant moms smoked, state DHS data shows.
Chicken pox, pertussis returns
Another area for concern in the report is the uptick in vaccine preventable diseases, Hallett said.
The city reported 12 cases of chickenpox in 2013, along with 22 cases of pertussis. There were no cases of measles or mumps.
“It’s really clear that it can become serious in small number of people,” Hallett said. “I would hope parents would consider the advice of doctors and nurses more so than misinformation from celebrity figures.”
Eggebrecht said parents who opt out of vaccinations are putting the entire community at risk.
Positive Indicators
Appleton is embracing a more physically active lifestyle and along with the smoking ban emacted in 2005 it could be having an impact on death statistics, Eggebrecht said.
Heart attacks and strokes claimed more lives in 2013 than other causes, but the trend is in the right direction, he said.
“I see an uptick in walking, riding bikes and attending restaurants that have healthier food options,” Eggebrecht said. “We need to be asking ourselves about our daily choices: did I get 45 minutes of exercise, eat right, smoke, and how much sleep did I get?”
A reduction in gastrointestinal diseases was another positive point in the report, Hallett said.
Cases involving salmonella, a bacteria, and giardia, a parasite, were both down in the past decade. However, cases tied to cryptosporidium, a parasite found in pools and lakes, were up from 3 in 2003 to 12 last year.
“Crypto is more resistant to chlorine than giardia,” Hallett said. “I think people have gotten message they shouldn’t drink water from streams in Wisconsin, but the big key is also not to swim when there could be diarrhea in the water.”
Source: http://www.postcrescent.com/
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