April 4, 2022
April is STD Awareness Month and April 11-17 is STD Awareness Week
The month of April is STD Awareness Month. The week of April 11-17 has been designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as STD Awareness Week. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that one in every five Americans was diagnosed with a STI. In 2018, this equates to about 68 million cases of STIs. Each year, 20 million new cases of STIs are diagnosed. Some people may have a STI but don’t even know they have one since there might not be any symptoms. Early detection through screenings is an important tool in the prevention of spread of STIs. Talk to your patients and encourage them to take advantage of this Medicare-covered preventive service.
To learn more about Medicare-covered services, visit CMS Preventive Services
For more information:
- National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and High-Intensity Behavioral Counseling (HIBC) to Prevent STIs (210.10) (cms.gov)
- CMS Preventive Services
- Preventive & Screening Services (medicare.gov)
- CDC STD Awareness Week
- ASHA Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Month
References
- 2018 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance. (2021, January 25). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats18/default.htm
- STI Prevalence, Incidence, and Cost Estimates. (2021, February 18). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/prevalence-incidence-cost-2020.htm
- Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Month. (n.d.). www.ashasexualhealth.org. https://www.ashasexualhealth.org/sexually-transmitted-infections-awareness-month/