Public Health Concerns

The most important public health concerns in today’s’ world are the prevention of

STI’s, obesity and the use of tobacco. Health professionals are concerned about these issues

because they contribute to the development of chronic disease. Sexually transmitted

Infections vary in symptoms. Apart from the genitals, STI’s can affect other parts of the

body. For instance, Chlamydia can infect the eyes, throat and rectum (NHS Choices, 2015).

The most common sexually transmitted infection is HIV which has claimed millions of lives

and revolutionized many people’s sex lives. Tobacco Use is linked to the onset of lung

cancer. This paper will focus on the current situation and intervention programs available for

STI’s in Fairfax Virginia County.

The Fairfax County Government conducts surveillance for STI incidence. The

incidence for gonorrhea and chlamydia has escalated over the years. However, their incidence

rates are lower than those for other parts of Virginia. In 2012, sixty new syphilis cases were

recognized in the county. This was about 0.0053% of the entire population. Between 2010

and 2012, about 417/1000 people infected with syphilis also had HIV. Additionally, The

County of Fairfax Virginia (2012) compiled a report showing that the 68.7% of chlamydia

patients were female while 59.6% of gonorrhea patients seeking medical attention were male

(p. 9). The most shocking Fairfax County statistic was that 96.8% of all syphilis cases

between 2011 and 2012 were male. According to Fairfax County Virginia (2016), the United

States records 20 million new STI infections every year. Most of these infections are among

the young people.

According to Healthy People.Gov (2016), the government intends to encourage

healthy sexual lifestyles. The prevention of these infections is important because they may