Anne Arundel Pushes STD Awareness as Comedy Show Puts Baltimore in Spotlight

The comedy TV show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart put a national spotlight on Baltimore's crab population this week—but it's not the type of crabs for which Marylanders take pride.

The Comedy Central show featured a segment on how the problem of pubic lice—commonly referred to as "crabs"—is decreasing nationwide, except for in Baltimore.

But Baltimore is far from the only area in Maryland dealing with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and the Anne Arundel County Department of Health is reminding people that the lice are nearly the most common STD in the state. The most common STD problem is chlamydia.

April is STD awareness month and Anne Arundel County has the fifth highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infections in the state, according to the state health department. The most affected age group for reports of STD infections in the county are people 20 to 24 years old, followed by people 15 to 19 years old.

"STDs are often present without symptoms, so it is important to be aware of the risks and know where to get treatment," according to the press release. "The Department of Health’s STD clinical services program provides quality screening, treatment and education services for all county residents."

The county also provides "Prevention Kits" with information about different diseases, symptoms, prevention and treatments available with the health department.

For more information, visit the Anne Arundel County Department of Health website or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.