INDIANAPOLIS — More teenagers in central Indiana are testing positive for sexually transmitted infections.
WRTV checked in with local organizations, encouraging teens to get tested.
"We're really seeing amongst young people that are high school, age, college age, a growth in infectious diseases," said President and CEO of the Damien Center, Alan Witchey.
Witchey has seen an increase in sexually transmitted infections in youth, including gonorrhea, syphilis, and hepatitis.
Michael Martin Drain, President and CEO of Step-Up Inc., has seen it too. His organization is dedicated to providing testing and resources to the community, specifically for minorities.
"We are seeing individuals in their teens test positive for HIV, and that is also very concerning," he said.
The organizations say they've seen more people come in and are seeing more symptomatic patients.
"That may mean that they've had it for a longer period of time. It may mean it's a more virulent strain," said Whitchey. "Sometimes, with sexually transmitted infections, there are spikes. You don't know if that's going to be a continued trend or not until you see it for months at a time."
Knowing what's going on is important for your health.
"I think that's probably the thing that most people get nervous about when they think they might have a sexually transmitted infection, like, hey, is this treatable? Is it something worse or something more? And the only way to know is to get that test," said Witchey.
Damien Center and Step Up Inc. want teens to know they can get tested even without a parent.
"If you're a minor, 13 and above, you can get tested without parental consent. I think that's not always known," said Witchey.
WRTV also wanted a statewide snapshot. However, state health department data online hasn't been updated since 2022.
As of 2022, STIs were not up among youth across the state.
