To help residents protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, the Ohio County Health Department offers free condoms - it's as easy as asking for a "brown bag."

And with a recent syphilis outbreak in Ohio County, health officials want people to know that prevention - as in protection - is the best medicine. The latex condoms are distributed in a brown paper bag to be discreet. They are available to anyone who asks at the health department's front desk, located on the first floor of the City-County Building, 1500 Chapline St.

"All anyone has to do is come to the front desk and ask for a brown bag. They don't even have to say the word. Just say, 'Can I have a brown bag?' And we give them a lunch bag," said Nursing Supervisor Becky Beckett.

The health department notified the public on Sept. 4 that there was hike in the number of syphilis cases, a deviation from normal for the county, which typically sees zero to two cases in a year. The deviation constituted an outbreak. In 2007, the state of West Virginia had a total of 23 syphilis cases.

Administrator Howard Gamble last week said Ohio County's investigation, in conjunction with state officials, was nearly complete. And as of Thursday, no new syphilis cases had been reported or confirmed, he said.

In addition to syphilis, the health department receives state funding to conduct testing for the following STDs: chylamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B and HIV.

In 2007, Ohio County had 44 chylamydia cases and seven gonorrhea cases, Gamble said. The exact number of cases of hepatitis B, human papilloma virus, herpes simplex and HIV were not available. Gamble noted such information was not made available by the state bureau of health for the health department.

However, the most diagnosed STDs in the state and Ohio County are chlamydia (No. 1) and gonorrhea (No. 2), he said. In 2007, there were 3,180 chylamydia cases in the state and 933 gonorrhea cases.

"Some studies have shown that if you have had as few as three partners in your lifetime, you probably have an 80 percent chance of having HPV or herpes," Beckett said. "And even if you don't have any symptoms, you can carry the virus on you and spread it to your partners without even knowing you have it. ... Nationally there is an epidemic of these viral infections. There's an epidemic nationally of HPV, genital warts and herpes."

Beckett noted there are viral STDs, which include HPV, genital warts, hepatitis and HIV, and bacterial STDs, which include syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. Bacterial STDs can be cured with antibiotics, but viral cannot.

"How do you prevent them? Limit your number of partners (and use) latex condoms - and that's really the only things available to you," she said.

She noted STD cases are increasing for people age 50 and older, a statistic she said surprises most people.

Beckett noted people are always welcome to ask for a brown bag or simply ask questions. Health officials also do educational sessions for groups when asked.