Georgia Among STD Capitals Of U.S.

ATLANTA, GA — The number of Americans contracting sexually transmitted diseases is about to reach epidemic levels this year, and Georgia is not immune from the problem, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The highest number ever of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases — more than 2 million — was reported across the nation, the CDC says, with the Peach State seeing increased cases of all three diseases.

While all three can be cured with antibiotics, if they are not diagnosed and go untreated, they can have serious health consequences, including infertility, pelvic pain, organ damage, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, neurological deterioration, stillbirth in infants and increased risk for HIV transmission.

"Increases in STDs are a clear warning of a growing threat," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. "STDs are a persistent enemy, growing in number, and outpacing our ability to respond."

Cases of all three sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, have increased for the first time since 2006, data released by the CDC in April show.

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April is national STD Awareness Month, and the CDC has several ways people and providers can participate.

Individuals are encouraged to talk about STDs with their partners and to get tested. Ways to reduce the risk of getting and transmitting STDs are using protection, practicing abstinence or reducing the number of partners.

Find a testing site using this CDC resource locator.

Syphilis Cases Increase

Washington, D.C., has the highest rate of syphilis in the United States, according to the data.

The states with the highest syphilis rates are as follows, with DC at No. 1 and Georgia at No. 5:

• D.C. has 84.5 cases per 100,000 people
• New York has 47.8 cases per 100,000 people
• Nevada has 45.4 cases per 100,000 people
• California has 45.0 cases per 100,000 people
• Georgia has 40.3 cases per 100,000 people
• Maryland has 30.7 cases per 100,000 people
• Virginia has 15.5 cases per 100,000 people

Syphilis can start as a painless sore that appears three weeks after exposure to an infected person and heals on its own within three to six weeks, officials say. If left untreated, syphilis can go on to cause a rash, swollen lymph nodes, fever and damage to the heart, brain, nerves, eyes, joints, bones, liver and blood vessels, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Officials said the majority of cases occurred among men who have sex with men. There was also a 36 percent increase in rates of syphilis among women and a 28 percent rise in syphilis among newborns, a condition known as congenital syphilis. The disease is preventable through routine screening and timely treatment with an antibiotic for syphilis among pregnant women.

"Every baby born with syphilis represents a tragic system's failure," said Gail Bolan, director of CDC's Division of STD Prevention. "All it takes is a simple STD test and antibiotic treatment to prevent this enormous heartache and help assure a healthy start for the next generation of Americans."

Syphilis rates increased by nearly 18 percent overall from 2015 to 2016, according to the CDC's annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report.

Symptoms Of Chlamydia

Of the 2 million new STD diagnoses in 2016, the majority — 1.6 million — were chlamydia cases, the report said. It can have no symptoms but may present through discharge, burning while urinating, pain, rectal bleeding or swollen testicles. It can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system.

Washington, D.C., reported the highest rate of chlamydia with 1,083 per 100,000 people. Top states in order are Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware and Arkansas.

Georgia was No. 5 for chlamydia, with a rate of 614.6 cases per 100,000 people and a total of 62,776 cases reported in 2016.

Georgia Gonorrhea Cases

There were 470,000 gonorrhea cases nationally in 2016, according to the CDC. Most who are infected do not have symptoms or may mistake them for a bladder infection. Especially prevalent among those 15 to 24 years old, it can cause infections in the genitals, rectum and throat.

Gonorrhea cases increased by 18.5 percent from 2015 to 2016. The increase in gonorrhea cases is particularly alarming in light of the growing threat of drug resistance to the last remaining recommended gonorrhea treatment, said Bolan.

The CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Lab in Maryland is working on a pilot program to identify outbreaks of gonorrhea and develop alternative treatments.

Mississippi led the country in cases of gonorrhea (239 per 100,000 people) followed by Louisiana, Georgia, Alaska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina and Delaware.

Georgia was No. 3, with a rate of 201.2 people per 100,000 affected and a total of 20,553 cases of gonorrhea in 2016.

The CDC is also recommending that the federal government step in and assist states in their efforts to combat the epidemic, which now costs more than $16 billion to treat.

The CDC has issued the following recommendations:

• Improve diagnosis and treatment of pregnant women and ensure prompt treatment of newborns at birth in the 10 states hardest hit by congenital syphilis.
• Rapidly test for drug-resistant gonorrhea and treat affected individuals, as part of the federal government's Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (CARB) Action Plan.
• Integrate STD prevention into care for people living with HIV.

At the same time, the CDC is appealing to state health departments to refocus their resources on STD investigation and services to rapidly detect and treat people living in the areas hardest hit by the STD epidemic.

The agency also is urging health-care providers to make STD screenings and treatments a standard part of medical care, especially for pregnant women and men who have sex with men. It's now or never, said Mermin.

"We have reached a decisive moment for the nation," said Mermin. "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."

— By Patch editors D'Ann Lawrence White and Elizabeth Janney

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