CDC Takes To Twitter To Talk STD Awareness
Earlier today officials with the Atlanta based Centers for Disease Control used the popularity and audience reach of twitter to chat live about sexually transmitted diseases.
WABE’s Rose Scott has more about the agency’s social media strategy.
How do you talk about STDs on twitter?
“Well it’s interesting because you get to see what people are asking” says Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the CDC.
He led the live twitter chat about sexually transmitted diseases.
The use of social media, says Dr. Frieden is a useful platform.
Frieden and Dr. Dr. Gail Bolan, the director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention spent an hour in twitter world.
In this instance it allows the CDC to specifically target health providers.
Frieden say,“many doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals may not be comfortable talking to their patients about sexual activity and encouraging kids to delay onset of sex and to have safe sex if they are having sex and to get tested for STDs.”
According to the CDC, STDS cost the U.S health care system 17 billion dollars a year.
That fact was just one of many tweets by Dr. Frieden.
Much of the information was based on data focusing on young adults.
Half of all STDs are in people ages 18 to 24 says Frieden.
He adds if half of all sexually transmitted diseases are in young adults, that means “we need to do a better job of prevention and treatment.”
According to CDC officials the live twitter chat reached more than 5 million people.
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