Brown County encourages safe 'holiday fun' for STD prevention

Haley BeMiller
Green Bay Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY - Brown County is encouraging those who wish to get their jollies this holiday season to practice safe sex to avoid sexually-transmitted diseases.

The Public Health Division of county Health and Human Services posted a festive, and somewhat edgy, reminder on Facebook Thursday to "wrap up with a condom" when having sex. Otherwise, the department warned, your "12 Days of Christmas" could go a little differently.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me — a brand new STD," the post begins.

According to Ann Steinberger, the department's nurse manager, Brown County reported 1,317 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in 2017. Provisional data for 2018 show 1,314 documented cases through October.

These numbers don't include De Pere or Oneida Nation of Indians of Wisconsin, which have their own health departments.

"We just need to increase prevention efforts, make people aware," Steinberger said.

Per the Facebook post, anyone who's already had some "holiday fun" can visit gettested.cdc.gov to find nearby STD testing.

As the department said: "Spread Holiday cheer, not sexually transmitted infections."