We’re discussing, in this editorial series, a couple of health presentations made to the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners on May 24. The first presentation concerned a planned ‘Nutrition Security Health Equity Assessment’ and we discussed that in Part One.
The second health-related presentation came for San Juan Basin Public Health Executive Director Liane Jollon, and began with a rather thorough overview of how SJBPH approached the COVID crisis. We introduced that discussion in Part Two.
Although the controversies around the SARS-Cov-2 virus, related government policies, and the mRNA vaccines, remain part of the cultural conversation, I sense that Americans are ready to move on with their lives, including the 82.8 million cases that successfully recovered from the infection. (83.8 million cases minus 1.0 million fatalities.) 83.8 million recovered cases amounts to about one-quarter of the total U.S. population of 330 million people.
This graph from John Hopkins School of Medicine shows that almost none of the Intensive Case Unit beds in Colorado (the orange-colored bars) are currently occupied by COVID patients.
Nevertheless, public health agencies continue to broadcast warnings. This press release, for example, came from San Juan Basin Public Health on Friday:
Recent COVID-19 incidence and positivity rates indicate that transmission is rising in La Plata and Archuleta counties, causing San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH) to urge caution over the Memorial Day weekend when gathering with friends and family. Consider outdoor gatherings where possible. As of May 25, La Plata County’s one week incidence rate was 125.8 cases per 100,000 people and positivity rate was at 8%. Archuleta’s one week incidence rate was 104.7 and positivity rate was 15%.
SJBPH encourages residents, especially those who are at high risk for severe illness, to act now to protect themselves and their families. Residents should continue prevention efforts such as staying home if you have symptoms, frequent hand-washing, and staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. High risk and vulnerable individuals should consider resuming masking in public indoor spaces.
Is a ‘positivity rate of 15%’ good news… or bad news? The press release doesn’t say.
I would propose that ‘news’ is always incomplete. And sometimes misleading.
In another recent press release, SJBPH warned local residents about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Knowing that the median age in Archuleta County is 51 years, and knowing that very few young people read the Pagosa Daily Post on a regular basis, (preferring to get their news via social media), I didn’t post that STD press release when it first arrived, thinking that perhaps it didn’t apply to our readership.
Syphilis was not discussed during Executive Director Liane Jollon’s presentation to the BOCC. But I can share the STD press release here.
headline read:
Syphilis Cases Increasing in La Plata and Archuleta Counties
SJBPH serves both La Plata and Archuleta County, neighboring counties with somewhat different demographics. From this headline, one might assume that cases of syphilis are increasing in La Plata County, and also, that cases of syphilis are increasing in Archuleta County.
The rest of the press release encourages that mistaken conclusion.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has issued an alert for La Plata County for an increase in syphilis cases over the past 12 months in comparison to previous years. San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH) encourages residents in both Archuleta and La Plata counties to educate themselves and take action toward reaching their best sexual health. In SJBPH’s jurisdiction, cases of syphilis were 40 percent higher in 2021 than in 2020, with the trend continuing to increase in 2022.
Syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia are bacterial infections that can increase the risk of HIV acquisition and transmission. It is critical that individuals who are at high risk for STDs and HIV, particularly men who have sex with men, get tested every three months…
The Sexual Health Clinic at SJBPH provides:
- Confidential STD counseling and testing for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HPV, herpes, and syphilis.
- Treatment options for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
- Vaccinations for HPV (human papillomavirus) and Hepatitis A and B.
You can learn more about SJBPH’s Sexual Health Clinic, and how to contact them, on their website.
One of the reasons I wanted to share this press releases is the somewhat implausible idea that cases of syphilis were “increasing in Archuleta County”, implying that they were 40% higher in 2021 than in 2020, with the trend increasing in 2022. (I guess I had assumed that people were still social distancing?)
What does “40% higher” actually mean? And what does “In SJBPH’s jurisdiction” actually mean?
I reached out to CDPHE for clarification, and received an explanatory Excel document.
There were no cases of syphilis reported in Archuleta County in 2019, 2020 or 2021. Zero.
The situation was rather different in La Plata County, where 3 cases where reported in 2019, 12 cases in 2020, and 17 cases in 2021. With the upward trend continuing, we are told. In Colorado as a whole, annually reported cases of syphilis have tripled since 2017, from 818 to 2,310.
My conclusion: if you’re going to have unprotected sex, your odds are better if you choose a partner from Archuleta County.
That said, I don’t appreciate getting a press release from SJBPH, suggesting a syphilis outbreak in Archuleta County, when no such disease has been reported in the past three years.
As mentioned, Ms. Jollon and the BOCC did not discuss STDs during last week’s conversation. But they did discuss ‘Man Therapy’, along with some other questions posed to Ms. Jollon by the commissioners.
I had not heard of ‘Man Therapy’. But I always enjoy learning about new things…