MMWR News Synopsis for March 9, 2017

Confidentiality Issues and Use of STD Services Among Sexually Experienced Persons Aged 15–25 Years — United States, 2013–2015

National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
404-639-8895
NCHHSTPMediaTeam@cdc.gov

Concerns about confidentiality and privacy may serve as barriers for young people accessing important STD prevention and treatment services. CDC researchers analyzed data from the 2013-2015 National Survey of Family Growth to provide national estimates of confidentiality-related issues among U.S. adolescents and young adults aged 15-25 and its association with receiving STD services. Results show that approximately one in ten (13 percent) sexually experienced youth would not seek sexual and reproductive health care because of concerns that their parents might find out, especially persons aged 15-17 (23 percent). Female youth who reported that they would not seek sexual and reproductive health care because of concerns that their parents might find out were less likely to have received a chlamydia test in the past year (17 percent) than did those who did not report this concern (39 percent). Researchers also examined how spending time alone with a provider (without a parent in the room) may impact receipt of sexual health services. The findings show that youth who had time alone with their provider during a health care visit were more likely to have reported receiving a sexual risk assessment (71 percent) than those who did not have time alone with a provider (37 percent). Because chlamydia and gonorrhea are often asymptomatic and young people are most heavily impacted by STDs, screening of all sexually active women younger than 25 is critical for reducing infections and potential long term consequences of STDs.

Grand Rounds: Public Health Strategies to Prevent Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome takes a substantial human and financial toll in the U.S. each year, but by promoting responsible opioid prescribing and decreasing unplanned pregnancies among women who abuse opioids, we can turn the tide. Recent Grand Rounds outlined strategies for reducing the number of infants born with opiate drug withdrawal symptoms – called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS – including efforts to prevent and treat opioid abuse before pregnancy. The U.S. NAS rate increased from 1.2 in 2000 to 5.8 per 1,000 hospital births in 2012, reflecting increases in opioid use, abuse, or dependence among pregnant women. In 2012, one NAS-affected infant was born every 25 minutes in the U.S., accounting for approximately $1.5 billion in healthcare charges that year. NAS prevention strategies include: ensuring appropriate opioid prescribing, particularly among pregnant women and women of reproductive age and increasing access to preconception care and family planning services to prevent unplanned pregnancy among women who use opioids.

Notes from the Field:

• An Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium Associated with Playground Sand in a Preschool Setting — Madrid, Spain, September–October 2016
• Hepatitis C Transmission from Inappropriate Reuse of Saline Flush Syringes for Multiple Patients in an Acute Care General Hospital — Texas, 2015

Quick Stats:

• Prevalence of Untreated Dental Caries in Primary Teeth Among Children Aged 2–8 Years, by Age Group and Race/Hispanic Origin — National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011–2014

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