WEBVTT GUARD IS ON THE WAY. SO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. MORE THAN TWO-MILLION PEOPLE HAVE A SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASE HERE IN THE U.S. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. -- GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. I’M KRIS KETZ. LARA: I’M LARA MORTIZ. THE CDC SAYS THAT NUMBER IS AN ALL-TIME HIGH BUT CONFUSION IN , KANSAS LAW MAY BE KEEPING THAT NUMBER FROM DROPPING. KRIS: TONIGHT KMBC 9 NEWS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER MATT FLENER IS LOOKING INTO WHAT’S GOING ON IN KANSAS, AND A POSSIBLE SOLUTION. MATT. MATT: TWO MED STUDENTS HERE IN KANSAS CITY, ON ROTATIONS RIGHT NOW IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, BUT THEY ARE PUSHING A CDC-RECOMMENDED PLAN TO MAKE SURE DOCTORS HAVE THE BEST TOOLS AVAILABLE. >> IT’S GOING TO AFFECT SO MANY OF MY PATIENTS. MATT: IN HER CAREER, MED STUDE MIANNA ARMSTRONG WANTS THE OPTION TO KEEP BOTH PARTNERS SAFE IF JUST ONE HAS AN , SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED INFECTION. >> IF YOU CAN BREAK THAT CYCLE, YOU CAN PREVENT REINFECTION. >> IF YOU TREAT ONE PARTNER AND YOU DON’T TREAT THE OTHER, THEN THEY’RE JUST GOING TO GET REINFECTED MATT: FELLOW KCUMB MED STUDENT MEGAN MCMURRAY IS ADVOCATING, TOO, A CDC-RECOMMENDED TREATMENT CALLED EXPEDITED PARTNER THERAPY. WRITE PRESCRIPTIONS, NOT JUST FOR ONE PARTNER, BUT BOTH, EVEN IF ONLY ONE SHOWS UP TO THE DOCTOR. IT’S JUST KIND OF ONE OF THOSE GRAY ZONES IN MEDICINE, WHERE IT’S NOT NECESSARILY OUTRIGHT ILLEGAL, BUT THERE’S NOT A LOT OF AWARENESS ON HOW TO GO ABOUT IT THE CORRECT WAY. MATT: RIGHT NOW IT IS COMPLETELY LEGAL IN 42 STATES, INCLUDING MISSOURI. BUT, KANSAS LAW IS SILENT IF DOCTORS CAN USE EPT, WHICH MEA KANSAS LAW IS OPEN FOR CHANGE. >> THAT WOULD DEFINITELY HELP TO MAKE PRESCRIBERS FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE MOVING FORWARD WITH EXPEDITED PARTNER THERAPY. MATT: THERE ARE SIX STATES, INCLUDING KANSAS, WHERE EPT IS POTENTIALLY ALLOWABLE, MEANING THERE COULD BE A BIGGER CONVERSATION AHEAD ABOUT THIS TOPIC IN THE 2019 LEGISLATIVE