FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Free Home Testing Initiative to tackle rise in STIs launched Across Ohio
DEFIANCE, OHIO. Ohioans can access a new program called Aware Home Test. It’s a free home testing program to help stop Congenital Syphilis and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), such as Chlamydia, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, HIV, and Hepatitis B & C. In the U.S., STIs have been increasing, with over 2.5 million cases in 2022. In the last 10 years, Congenital Syphilis cases have gone up by more than 900%. This disease is passed from a mother to her baby and can cause stillbirth, early death, or severe disability. According to the 2018 Community Health Status Assessment, 20% of Defiance County youth have had sex, and more than half of them reported having multiple partners. This 2018 data raises concerns about the increased risk of STIs. Over the past five years, there have been an average of 146 cases of Chlamydia each year in Defiance County, which is about 10-15 cases a month.
Through the Aware Home Test website (www.awarehometest.com), people can order a free testing kit that includes shipping both ways. With easy-to-follow instructions and videos, users can take their samples at home and send them to a lab for testing. If someone tests positive, they are connected to healthcare. In Defiance County, people who need care can go to Health Partners of Western Ohio, which has locations in Defiance, Bryan, and other nearby counties.
This free testing service is provided by Preventx, a company that has been the largest remote testing provider in Europe since 2008. They opened their US headquarters and lab in Blue Ash, Ohio, in January 2024. Preventx’s CEO, Ruth Poole, said, “We are delighted to launch one of our first US programs in Ohio, and support efforts to help eradicate Congenital Syphilis. We hope that by offering free testing to all Ohians we can drive improved health outcomes and position Ohio as a role model for other US states”.
About Preventx
Preventx operates a specialized lab in Blue Ash, OH to provide full service remote testing solutions and empower public health officials in the U.S. to implement reliable, trusted remote sexual health services through an adaptable digital platform, efficient home testing models and in-house specialist diagnostic lab. With over 15 years’ experience, Preventx is the largest provider of remote sexual health testing across Europe, having dispatched over 15 million tests. In the UK, Preventx runs over 60 large scale programs including the National Hepatitis C testing program and Sexual Health London (www.shl.uk), the largest publicly funded remote sexual health testing program in the world.
Contact
Jessica West
Health Promotion Specialist
Public Information Officer
jwest@defiancecohealth.org
