Adams County Health Department Warns of Rising STI Rates, Urges Testing

The Adams County Health Department has reported a rise in sexually transmitted infections and acknowledged that its current education and outreach efforts have not been sufficient to slow the trend in the county.

Public health nurses and outreach staff in West Union said the local increase reflects a broader pattern tracked statewide and nationally. Ohio syphilis rates rose 82% between 2016 and 2021, according to the Ohio Department of Health, and national syphilis rates climbed 80% over the same five-year span. Nationally, more than 2.2 million STIs were reported in 2024, a figure that sits 13% higher than a decade ago; congenital syphilis cases are nearly 700% higher than they were ten years prior.

The department's response draws on tactics standard in public health practice: distributing educational materials, encouraging safer-sex behavior, referring residents to testing and treatment, and making free condoms available. Staff also noted the difficulty of reaching residents who are less likely to engage with conventional outreach, a recurring challenge in rural counties where clinical resources are limited and stigma can be a barrier to care.

That stigma matters in a place like Adams County. "There's a lot of stigma I think with especially sexually transmitted infections, in general, people don't want to talk about it," said Alisha Cassady, an epidemiologist in a similar rural-outreach context, reflecting a view shared by public health workers across Ohio. The Adams County department's concern is that silence translates directly into untreated infections and continued spread.

Beyond individual health, rising STI rates carry systemic consequences for a small county. Certain infections pose documented risks during pregnancy, with implications for maternal and infant outcomes. Community- and school-based prevention programs face greater demand as case counts grow, even as rural health departments typically operate with constrained budgets and smaller staffing than urban counterparts.

The department urges anyone who is sexually active or believes they may have been exposed to seek confidential testing. Free prevention supplies are available through the department's offices in West Union. For current testing hours, confidentiality policies, or to schedule an appointment, contact the Adams County Health Department directly through its official county website.