Record-High STD Rates in US; Where Does Northern Virginia, DC Metro Rank?

WASHINGTON, DC — Total U.S. cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are higher than ever. And rates are climbing fast, according to new data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with a 19 percent increase in syphilis cases between 2014 and 2015, alone.

In Virginia, chlamydia and gonorrhea rates have dropped year-over-year. Syphilis to their highest rate in at least five years — at 4 cases per 100,000 people — but, that's far fewer than national rate of 7.5 cases.

In the D.C. metro region, there were slight increases in chlamydia and gonorrhea rates from 2014, but off highs from earlier in the decade. And syphilis cases were essentially flat, and roughly have the national rate.

The D.C. metro area includes communities in and around Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fauquier, Warren and Clark counties in Virginia, as well as Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick, Charles and Calvert counties in Maryland and Jefferson County, West Virginia.

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. healthcare 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 challenges 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.”

More: See state rankings for chlamydia rates

Local data from the STD survey, according to the CDC:

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