Source of STI/pregnancy/HIV stats questioned

In continuing coverage in the Scranton Times-Tribune, this article says the CDC is not involved and the Department of Health cannot verify the statistics that were released in the letter. 

Some highlights from the article:

Written by Ellen Orben, R.N., school nurse chairwoman, the letter cited information she said was provided verbally by Maternal and Family Health Services in Milford. The district has no written confirmation of the statistics.

...

Ms. Orben also told The Times-Tribune that a separate, unidentified “reputable medical source” informed her of the HIV-positive student, who in the letter was cited as having sexual relations with multiple Delaware Valley students.

...

Ms. Orben said Tuesday she thinks the source did correctly inform her there is an HIV-positive student at the school, but does not know why she was told the CDC is involved. 

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Dr. Finan believes all school districts are likely facing the same issues, but “we’re just facing them head-on.”

At least someone is doing their homework on this whole matter; kudos to the Times-Tribune. I think the Record really dove into this story just because it looked good on their front page: not because they actually wanted to do any research. The Record has not followed up on their sensationalizing article once, while the Scranton Times-Tribune has printed three articles on the matter. 

Not to mention, the Times-Tribune is printing a big regional feature on teen STD and pregnancy issues, according to the reporter who wrote this article, who called me earlier for an interview after seeing this blog (and who also did a story on me when I graduated).

So maybe this problem is even smaller than we thought?