Of the many distinctions Alaskans have, add to the list one that some people find difficult to talk about: Alaska has some the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the country. The state has for years had the highest rate of Chlamydia, and in 2010 it had the second highest rate of gonorrhea, according to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
To help more Alaskans across the state find out whether they have one of the illnesses, on Tuesday ANTHC announced a new way for people to get free, confidential test kits sent to their homes.
The "I Want the Kit" at-home tests arrive in the mail in an anonymous envelope and directions about how to collect a sample. Patients then put the kit in a prepaid return envelope and send it to a lab at Johns Hopkins University, where in addition to testing for gonorrhea and Chlamydia, technicians will also screen for trichomonas.
Results are available within about two weeks. Testers can either call toll free to get the results, or can arrange to have a nurse call or email the results to them. People who test positive will be given various treatment options.
Kits are available to anyone who lives in Alaska and can be ordered online at www.iknowmine.org or www.iwantthekit.org, and may also be ordered over the phone by calling (866) 575-5504.
Research shows that teens and young adults have better chances of getting tested if they can order a test online and for free, and conduct it confidentially in the privacy of their homes, according to a press release from ANTHC about the program.
Contact Jill Burke at jill(at)alaskadispatch.com