County sees uptick in STDs in older population
By Terry Murry on Friday, May 12th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – The Umatilla County Health Department is noticing a disturbing trend. Commissioner Cindy Timmons, who is the liaison with U-Co Health, says it has to do with sexually transmitted diseases.
“It’s spiking in seniors, and I’m talking about seniors 60, 70, 80 years old; especially in care home facilities,” she said.
Timmons said the STDs are showing up when women go to a doctor for a routine checkup. The health department investigates each case to find others who are impacted. Sexually transmitted diseases have long been considered a major health concern in Umatilla County, and Timmons said that is still the case.
“It’s not just the seniors, but in that part of our community, those numbers are spiking,” she said. “Young people have always been a concern.”
