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The State Department of Health announced Monday, April 29, that people can access the Knowing Your Risk website at www.ndhealth.gov/hiv/knowyourrisk. The site offers a survey to help users assess their need for STD testing, according to a press release.
"The first step in STD prevention is understanding your risk and getting tested when it's recommended," said Shari Renton, Surveillance Coordinator for HIV.STD.Vial Hepatitis. "Individuals should use the recommendations as a starting point to engage in a conversation with their health care provider to discuss the risk and potential screening for STDs."
The website poses up to 10 questions to determine if a person should be tested. It also identifies risk behaviors and how they can be treated to reduce the risk of contracting an STD.
The website is anonymous and does not collect any identifying information, officials said.
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The survey does not ask whether a person is married, single or dating. Marriage does not necessarily equate to the absence of risk of acquiring an STD, Renton said.
"Being married does not limit your risk of contracting STDs," she said. "You might think that you are in a monogamous relationship, but your partner might not be one."
A person who has not been tested before marriage could present problems, she noted.
The survey also asks what social media and apps people use to find sex partners, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tinder and Bumble.
Several types of STDs have increased in North Dakota in recent years. The state reported 3,528 cases of chlamydia last year, up 8 percent from 2017 and the highest number since the beginning of the decade, according to the health ministry. Gonorrhea cases rose 42 percent to 1,371 reports, almost five times more than in 2011, the department said.
The number of people living with HIV and AIDS remained relatively stable in 2010. Although the number of new diagnoses increased from 11 in 2011 to nearly 39 in 2018, with a peak of 50 new diagnoses reported in 2011. 2016, according to the department.
For more information, call Renton at 701-328-1059 or visit www.cdc.gov/STD to learn more about tests and treatments.
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