Bill would authorize partner’s STD treatment

The Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony March 1 on a bill that would allow expedited partner therapy (EPT) for the treatment of certain sexually transmitted diseases.

Under LB528, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Sara Howard, a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse who diagnoses gonorrhea or Chlamydia in a patient would be allowed to prescribe, provide or dispense oral antibiotics to the patient’s sexual partner or partners without an examination.

Current law is silent on whether EPT is allowed in Nebraska, Howard said, and LB528 is intended to make the practice expressly permissible.

In clinical trials, EPT has been shown to reduce reinfection rates by 20 percent for Chlamydia and by 50 percent for gonorrhea, Howard said. Both diseases often are asymptomatic, she said, and can lead to a variety of complications including infertility and premature childbirth.

“Quick treatment of these STDs is absolutely critical,” Howard said.

Melissa Grant of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland testified in support of the bill, saying Chlamydia is the most commonly transmitted bacterial infection in the United States. Seventy-five percent of women and 50 percent of men who have the disease do not know that they are infected, she said.

Grant said EPT has been used at Planned Parenthood’s health center in Iowa since 2008 with no reported problems.

Adi Pour, executive director of the Douglas County Health Department, also supported the bill. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a protocol for using EPT, she said, and 32 states expressly allow the practice. She said a recent CDC study supports the efficacy and safety of the program.

“The study reported there were no adverse events after EPT,” Pour said.

No one testified in opposition and the committee took no immediate action on the bill.