Private MD News

Miss. residents could benefit from STD testing

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

One Southern city is holding various town hall meetings in an effort to counter a rising problem with STDs.

Jackson, Mississippi, is only one of many cities around the country that will be subjected to these meetings to try to root out why diseases such as AIDS and gonorrhea continue to spread in the area, ABC affiliate channel 16 WAPT reports.

Felicia Brown-Williams, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Mississippi, told the news provider that the city of Jackson has had an ongoing problem with STDs.

"Jackson is a good choice for [the government to hold town hall meetings]," Brown-Williams said. "Particularly considering HIV/AIDS are becoming 'Southern diseases. We have a problem (in Jackson)."

Some of the other cities that are scheduled to have town hall meetings about STDs include Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Francisco.

Though there are plenty of opportunities for a person to get an STD test, some may feel a little self-conscious about going out in public. Those people may want to look into getting an online lab test, which can be done in the privacy of their home.