Today, California state Sen. Scott Wiener is introducing a bill that will authorize HIV counselors to perform rapid syphilis tests (or any combination HIV/hep C/STI test) in addition to routine tests they are already permitted to do.

Furthermore, Senate Bill 932 will require testers and navigators to undergo HIV-specific counseling training that has been certified by the state's Office of AIDS.

According to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2017 to 2018, there were more than 115,000 syphilis cases. The number of primary and secondary syphilis cases — the most transmittable stages of syphilis — increased 14 percent to more than 35,000 cases, the highest number reported since 1991.

Additionally, gonorrhea increased 5 percent to more than 580,000 cases (also the highest number reported since 1991), and chlamydia increased 3 percent to more than 1.7 million cases — the most ever reported to CDC... (Read Full Text)