STD Rates Hit Record High in US, Most Cases Among Teens and Young Adults

ATLANTA, GA — Total U.S. cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are higher than ever. And rates are likely to continue to climb as many infected people go untested or untreated and state and local budget cuts hit STD clinics and prevention campaigns. Syphilis cases alone climbed 19 percent between 2014 and 2015, according to new data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are more than 1.5 million cases of chlamydia nationwide, as well as 400,000 cases of gonorrhea and almost 24,000 cases of the most infectious stages of syphilis, according to the new data. Teens and young adults ages 15 to 24 account for nearly two-thirds of diagnosed cases of chlamydia and half of gonorrhea cases.

STDs cost the U.S. health care system nearly $16 billion a year, according to the CDC. And chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are curable with antibiotics, but most STD cases go undiagnosed and untreated. That puts those infected at greater risk for serious health threats, including infertility, chronic pain and HIV infection.

“We have reached a decisive moment for the nation,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “STD rates are rising, and many of the country’s systems for preventing STDs have eroded. We must mobilize, rebuild and expand services – or the human and economic burden will continue to grow.”

Federal health officials are sounding the alarm as state and local governments nationwide address budget shortfalls by cutting STD prevention and treatment resources. More than 20 STD clinics have closed within one year, according to the CDC.

“STD prevention resources across the nation are stretched thin, and we’re beginning to see people slip through the public health safety net,” Mermin said in a statement. “Turning the STD epidemics around requires bolstering prevention efforts and addressing new challenges – but the payoff is substantial in terms of improving health, reducing disparities and saving billions of dollars.”

Eighteen states have gonorrhea rates worse than the national rate of 124 for every 100,000 people. Louisiana is at the top of the list, with 221 cases for every 100,000 people.

Eleven states account for a majority of cases of primary and secondary syphilis — the most infectious stages: Louisiana, Georgia, California, North Carolina, Nevada, Florida, New York, Arizona, Oregon, Maryland and Illinois.

Here are the state rankings for chlamydia cases and the rate of infection per 100,ooo people, according to the CDC. The national rate is 478.8.

1. Alaska, 768.3
2. Louisiana, 695.2
3. North Carolina, 647.4
4. New Mexico, 605.7
5. Mississippi, 580.2
6. Georgia, 570.8
7. South Carolina, 569.9
8. Arkansas, 545.0
9. Alabama, 543.6
10. Oklahoma, 542.2
11. Illinois, 540.4
12. New York, 524.7
13. Texas, 523.6
14. Hawaii, 498.3
15. Delaware, 492.2
16. Ohio, 489.3
17. California, 487.5
18. Arizona, 481.1
19. Tennessee, 477.5
20. Missouri, 477.4
21. Michigan, 469.1
22. South Dakota, 462.9
23. Maryland, 459.3
24. Nevada, 455.3
25. Florida, 454.8
26. Colorado, 445.4
27. Indiana, 437.9
28. Rhode Island, 433.6
29. North Dakota, 427.2
30. Virginia, 424.5
31. Wisconsin, 423.5
32. Nebraska, 422.9
33. Pennsylvania, 418.1
34. Oregon, 410.7
35. Montana, 408.8
36. Washington, 406.4
37. Kentucky, 395.2
38. Kansas, 394.8
39. Minnesota, 389.3
40. Iowa, 388.9
41. Connecticut, 364.9
42. Massachusetts, 357.3
43. New Jersey, 350.6
44. Wyoming, 348.7
45. Idaho, 344.5
46. Vermont, 303.4
47. Maine, 298.1
48. Utah, 293.3
49. West Virginia, 268.0
50. New Hampshire, 233.3

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