State and local health departments work with city and county corrections officials to implement STD screening as part of routine medical intake where appropriate and feasible. State and local health departments compile data on STD prevalence in corrections facilities to assess the extent of morbidity and monitor trends in prevalence. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are the most commonly reported infectious diseases in the United States. Both infections cause pelvic inflammatory disease which leads to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. Syphilis infections during pregnancy, if untreated, may cause severe congenital malformations in infants.
Persons entering corrections facilities are at high risk for STDs.
Data show that the percentage of syphilis tests that are reactive may be as high as 20 percent for women entering city or county jails. Very few jails routinely test for STDs. Those that do often test two weeks after admission, and therefore many short-stay inmates are missed. Many facilities only test inmates who complain of symptoms. Often, test results are recorded in the medical records but are not systematically compiled.