School-Based STD Screening

Statement of Purpose

The last three decades have seen the development of highly sensitive and specific nucleic acid amplification technology for the detection of sexually transmitted microorganisms. This development resulted in improvements in the screening coverage and reporting of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhea, the causative agents of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infections in most developed countries, with long-term complications that strain countries’ healthcare costs.

In the United States, widespread screenings for chlamydia and gonorrhea were implemented in school settings since 1995 to reach adolescents where they can be found. Substantial amount of data have been collected that can enhance our understanding of the epidemiology and control of sexually transmitted infections in this high-risk population.

In the summer of 2014, the Division of Adolescent and School Health and the Division of STD Prevention of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a School-Based STD Screening panel of experts, the purpose of which was to assist the Division of Adolescent and School Health in developing a greater understanding of school-based STD screening programs. The panel noted that, for various reasons, including programs’ lack of capacity to publish, more chlamydia and gonorrhea screening activities are conducted in schools than are documented in the published literature.

However, the principles of screening for disease that are applied to screen students for chlamydia and gonorrhea in schools were developed with the acknowledgement that the data that would be amassed during screening activities would be subjected to statistical analysis that could uncover important trends, and new knowledge would be accumulated that could advance medical science and practice.

Scope

This Special Issue encourages the submission of manuscripts on school-based STD screening data, including but not limited to the prevalence and incidence of sexually transmitted infections in schools; notification of test results to participants and treatment coverage for infected students; strategies for contact tracing, notification and treatment; behavioral characteristics of participants in school-based STD screenings; and costs of conducting STD screenings in schools. Mathematical modelling studies of data obtained in school-based STD screening programs would also be considered. Manuscripts based on data obtained on adolescents and young adults screened outside of school settings that the Authors think have implications for school-based STD screening are also welcomed. Original research manuscripts are encouraged. To a lesser degree, review articles could be considered.

Dear Colleagues,

In the summer of 2014, the Division of Adolescent and School Health and the Division of STD Prevention of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a School-Based STD Screening panel of experts, the purpose of which was to assist the Division of Adolescent and School Health in developing a greater understanding of school-based STD screening programs. The panel noted that more chlamydia and gonorrhea screening activities are conducted in schools than are documented in the published literature.

This Special Issue encourages submission of manuscripts on school-based STD screening data, including but not limited to the prevalence and incidence of sexually transmitted infections in schools; the notification of test results to participants and treatment coverage for infected students; strategies for contact tracing, notification and treatment; behavioral characteristics of participants in school-based STD screenings; costs of conducting STD screenings in schools. Mathematical modelling studies of data obtained in school-based STD screening programs would also be considered. Original research manuscripts are encouraged. To a lesser degree, review articles could be considered.

Widespread screenings for chlamydia and gonorrhea have been implemented in school settings in the United States since 1995, and screening activities were also conducted in schools in other countries around the world. However, the existing literature does not reflect the fact that there have been 25 years of annually obtaining information on school-based STD screenings that can enhance our understanding of STIs among adolescents. This Special Issue should supplement and fill the obvious gap that exist between the massive amount of data that have been accumulated during 25 years of on-going school-based STD screenings and the apparent paucity of related reports in the published literature. Submissions from countries other than the United States are highly encouraged.

Dr. M. Jacques Nsuami
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• adolescents;
• bacterial infections;
• behavior;
• epidemiology;
• health costs;
• incidence;
• mathematical modelling;
• prevalence;
• school health;
• screening;
• sexually transmitted diseases;
• sexually transmitted infections