STATE GOVERNMENT
Ohio lawmakers got back to work this week. Our political team will keep you up to date on the latest bills being considered and how they impact you. Like our new Ohio Politics Facebook page for more.
Ohioans with sexually transmitted infections may soon be allowed to give prescription medication to their sex partners without doctors first examining them.
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee gave the go-ahead to a bill that has already passed the Ohio House. The legislation would allow doctors to prescribe medication to their patients’ partners without first conducting exams. Current state law requires licensed health care providers to first examine patients before prescribing antibiotics.
House Bill 124, co-sponsored by state Rep. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, would carve out an exception for partners of patients who have been diagnosed with chlamydia, trichomoniasis or gonorrhea. The goal is to reduce cases of the infections, which typically occur among people ages 15 to 24.
Ohio’s rate of reported gonorrhea and chlamydia cases has been higher than the national average, with most cases occurring among those ages 15 to 24.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Florida are the only states that prohibit expedited partner therapy. Treatment for sex partners of those who are infected has been the standard course since the 1940s, according to the CDC. And expedited treatment for sex partners has been supported by the CDC since 2006.
Sexually transmitted infections, which can impact fertility, disproportionately affect women. The most commonly reported STIs are chlamydia and gonorrhea and females ages 15 to 24 have the highest number of cases of both. Untreated sex partners can cause reinfections.
Dr. Laura David, Chair of the Ohio Section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, testified in support of the bill earlier this year, saying Ohio and the nation is facing an STD epidemic. In 2013, Ohio ranked 20th for chlamydial infections with 53,300 cases and 8th for gonorrhea infections with 16,600 cases, she said.
“A major reason for the high incidence of infection and re-infection in our female patients is the lack of quick and efficient treatment of the male partners,” Dr. David said in written testimony.
Information from the Associated Press is included in this report.
About the Author
