Gonorrhea On The Rise In Pierce County: Health Department

LAKEWOOD, WA - The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has issued a "health alert" due to an observed increase in cases of gonorrhea. The county has seen a 39 percent increase in gonorrhea cases over the first six months of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. The sexually-transmitted disease is hitting young people age 20 to 29 especially hard, according to the health department.

"Gonorrhea incidence is increasing in Pierce County and in Washington State. Pierce County’s incidence is higher than in Washington state overall," the department wrote in its health alert.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Washington's gonorrhea rate is lower than the national average, but it has more than doubled since 2011 from 40 cases per 100,000 people to 102 cases per 100,000 in 2015. In total in 2016, the gonorrhea rate in Pierce County was about 142 per 100,000 people.

As easy as it is for men and women to contract gonorrhea, it is treatable. Treatment involves a short course of antibiotics. However, some types of STDs like gonorrhea and chlamydia are developing resistance to traditional antibiotics.

Sexually active individuals in Pierce County should get tested. To get an STD test - whether for gonorrhea or any other STD - contact the TPCHD clinic at (253) 798-3805.

Image via Centers for Disease Control