The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first entirely at-home test for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis, three common sexually transmitted infections. The test kit comes with all the materials necessary to collect the sample and provide results. The kit includes a testing device included that gives the results within a half an hour and it does not require a prescription to buy. These features may help some people overcome barriers to getting tested. For example, people avoid or delay seeing a physician to get tested due to lack of access to healthcare providers or because of stigma or fear associated with STDs. About 20% of Americans live with a sexually transmitted infection at any given time, yet many don’t receive the care they need.
Many public health experts say at-home tests like this one could help control the outbreaks of STIs in the US. “Home tests can give people information about their health from the privacy of their home”, said Dr. Courtney Lias, director of FDA’s Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Devices. “This can be particularly important for sexual health tests for which patients may experience fear or anxiety, possibly resulting in delayed diagnosis or treatment”.
Full Story: MedPageToday
Measles Outbreaks Continue to Spread in Several States
Texas continues to report more measles cases as health officials confirmed 22 additional cases today, increasing the total to 422 in the ongoing outbreak. To date, 42 of these individuals have required hospitalization, and one child has died.
In New Mexico, 4 new cases linked to the Texas-centered outbreak, were reported, bringing the state’s total to 48 since late January. The vast majority of cases (43) are people who are either unvaccinated or do not know their vaccination history.
Oklahoma, which is also part of the multi-state outbreak linked to Texas, confirmed one additional 1 infection this week, increasing its total case count to 10. All ten of the ill individuals were not vaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
Three other states reported cases not connected to the Texas-New Mexico-Oklahoma outbreak. Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. At least 20 states have confirmed at least one measles case in 2025, with many states experiencing outbreaks of 3 or more cases. This year, the US has already confirmed more measles infections than it saw in all of 2024.
Full Story: CIDRAP
