DES MOINES, Iowa — Physicians are seeing a steady rise in sexually transmitted infections (STI) nationwide, with some states experiencing these issues more than others.
Dr. Megan Srinivas is an infectious disease physician as well as an elected representative for the Iowa House. She has worked in-depth on studies on STIs and has seen a steady increase in cases here in Iowa after the pandemic.
"People were not having access to public health entities as much. They weren't going in and seeing their doctors as much, so they weren't having the same prophylactic discussions on how to prevent STI spread," Srinivas said.
Although Dr. Srinivas cites higher case numbers in rural communities, Madisun VanGundy with the Polk County Health Department shared that Polk County is seeing that same upward trend.
VanGundy said the health department is working to combat the rise in cases.
"We are doing more testing, you know, than we've ever done, which I think could also be contributing to an increase in number of cases that we're seeing," VanGundy said.
Currently, Polk County resources for STI help are set at a low cost.
"In Polk County, it's $10 — if you live in Polk County," Vangundy said. "And $25 if you live outside Polk County. But if you someone does test positive here, medication is free."
Srinivas noticed even before the pandemic, cases were steadily growing.
She said she believes politics play a hand in the problem, with polarization regarding reproductive and sexual health rights making it hard for some to acces that preventative care.
The way to lower infections is by putting peoples health over policies, according to Srinivas.
"I do worry that if we continue to have more politically motivated discussions, rather than thinking about what's best for Iowans, the amount of care in our state is going to contract," she, said.
Currently, Srinivas is working on a case study with the World Health Organization to see how the pandemic impacted access to sexual reproductive health care.