Free STD Testing Near You in Wichita, KS

Wichita is the largest city in the state of Kansas, and is a cultural touchstone for the state. It also boasts the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame for all of its beloved teams, a destination both locals and tourists look forward to paying a visit. As the largest metropolitan area in the state, it also contributes a considerable percentage to the state’s total number of reported sexually transmitted diseases. In 2015, the state of Kansas reported 11,506 new chlamydia infections, and the Wichita and Sedgwick County area accounted for 23% of those diagnoses.² Often, the most common symptom of having an STD is not having any symptoms at all, so getting tested is the most definitive way to know your status.⁴

If you’re feeling shy, embarrassed or even ashamed of getting tested for STDs, you don’t have to feel alone. With STDtest.com, you have access to a dedicated team of Care Advisors available from 6 am to 10 pm at night. They are trained to answer your questions and resolve any concerns you might have and can guide you through each step of the process. Don’t a stigma or fear keep you from getting the results you need. According to the CDC, all STDs can be treated and many cured, whereas an STD left untreated can lead to more serious medical complications like infertility.⁴

In the Wichita and Sedgwick County area, the number of gonorrhea infections saw a significant increase between 2013 and 2014 and is currently on the decline in 2015, according to reports from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Between 2013 and 2014, the total number of gonorrhea cases in the metropolitan statistical area jumped 20.2%. Between 2014 and 2015, the number of gonorrhea infections decreased by 3.7%, with 1,027 cases and 988 cases, respectively. Chlamydia is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the area, and is currently decreasing with 2,696 new infections in 2014 compared to 2,653 in 2015. From 2010 to 2015, the highest number of new chlamydia infections reported was in 2013.²

In Wichita, cases of primary and secondary syphilis (P&S) more than doubled between 2014 and 2015. In this time period, the P&S syphilis prevalence increased by 57%. Syphilis cases are diagnosed in far new numbers compared to other bacterial STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhea, however, left untreated, the complications can be severe. Untreated primary and secondary syphilis can result in ocular syphilis, neurosyphilis or congenital syphilis, a very serious infection passed from mother to child that can cause birth defects or even death.⁵ In the Wichita and and Sedgwick County area, the numbers of new HIV infections are currently on the decline, with 725 new in diagnoses reported in 2009 compared to 703 in 2010, according the to most recent epidemiologic profile published by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.^{2, 3 & 5}

Sexual education in the state of Kansas tends to be a topic fraught with tension the state of Kansas, and by extension, Wichita and Sedgwick County. In 2014, sexual education came under severe scrutiny when a poster used as a visual aid in a state public school alluded to information about ‘grinding’ and oral sex. As a result of the poster in question, the state legislature passed a law against displaying materials in public that is “harmful” to minors.⁶ Kansas is also one of the few states in the nation that requires an opt-in from parents, making sexual education the exception rather than the rule in the case of more conservative communities. This approach, with a significant barrier to instruction about STD, HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy can be more detrimental than helpful for the growing youth population in the greater Wichita area.⁷

According to the CDC, nearly 10 million of the close to 20 million sexually transmitted diseases reported annually in the United States are by young people ages 15-24. Considering that many STDs present without any symptoms at all and this population group being at a particularly high risk for a variety of reasons, some being a propensity toward multiple sex partners without protection, fears about privacy or confidentiality and biological vulnerability. Knowing the risks, the facts and also removing the stigma of a positive status can make the difference of a young person being treated for or cured of an STD or someone putting themselves at greater risk.⁸

In Wichita, Sedgwick County and across the state, the youth population (young people ages 15-24) experience some of the highest rates of STD infection. The reported numbers of chlamydia across the state reflect a rate of infection ranging between 1,500 and 2,000 infections per 100,000 residents. The range of infection rates for 15-24 year olds diagnosed with gonorrhea is 200 and 350/100,000. Typically, the age demographic impacted most by the spread of syphilis cases is slightly higher than that of chlamydia and gonorrhea, and this is verified by Kansas state STI report. The 20-29 age group accounts for the majority of cases reported.⁹

When it comes to the impact of the spread of sexually transmitted disease, gender is an important variable. Regarding chlamydia, it is far more likely to be reported in women than in men, with a rate of infection more than double. In the state of Kansas in 2015, the number of  of new infections reported in men and women was nearly equal. Typically, syphilis is reported in men in far higher numbers than women, and the most recent reports from the Kansas state Department of Health and Environment show no exception. The rate of syphilis infection in men is nearly four times in that of women. ⁹ Getting tested, especially if you are a member of an at-risk community for STDs, is very important in the effort to lower their prevalence in the Wichita,

Spend more of your free time doing something that brings you joy, like a visit to the Botanica Wichita Gardens, instead of feeling the pressure and stress of an unknown STD status? Getting started with STDtest.com is simple. By answering a few short questions online or by phone, you’ll receive a personal recommendation for the tests you should take from our doctors. You can then choose a lab from a national network of thousands for a brief visit (usually 30 minutes or less) to collect your test samples. If available in your area, you can skip the lab and we’ll come to you. A Lab Collection Specialist is available to come to your front door to take your blood or urine sample, 7 days a week from 5 am to 10 pm, often with just an hours’ notice.

For both options, once test samples are collected, results are usually available in three business days or less. Our medical team is available for follow up to discuss your diagnosis, to answer any remaining questions or even to prescribe treatment, if medically appropriate and if allowed by state law. Get tested. It’s for your better health.

References:

1 US Census Bureau Quick Facts – Wichita and Sedgwick County, KS
2 KS STI Statistics
3 Integrated Epidemiologic Profile 2010 – Kansas HIV/AIDS Program
4 The Lowdown on How to Prevent STDs
5 Syphilis – CDC Fact Sheet
6 SB 56
7 State Policies on Sex Education in Schools
8 Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Young Americans
9 Kansas STI Case Rate Report Calendar Year 2005 – 2015