Spring Break
Chlamydia cases in U.S. hit record high, other STDs on the rise
Andrew Cross
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: News
The number of chlamydia cases in the United States topped one million last year, breaking the record for the most reported cases of a sexually transmitted disease in one year.
The previous record was gonorrhea, which also plagued over a million people in 1978.
Some health officials remain optimistic, saying the large number may be due to better detection through more powerful screening.
Chlamydia, which can lead to infertility in women, shows no noticeable symptoms in about three-quarters of all cases.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, under-reporting is substantial because most people with chlamydia are unaware of their symptoms and do not seek proper testing. Once detected, chlamydia can easily be treated with routine antibiotics.
Although just over a million cases were reported in 2006, the Center for Disease Control estimates that approximately 2.8 million Americans are infected each year.
Women infected with chlamydia are five times more likely to be infected with HIV. Advocacy groups are hopeful that increased funding will result in a decrease of sexually transmitted diseases.
"To cut the number of infections, we need to do more," Terje Anderson, director of the National Association of People Living with AIDS, said. "We desperately need more resources."
Gonorrhea is also showing a comeback on the national stage after federal health officials report jumping rates due to a "superbug" form of the disease that is resistant to antibiotics.
After the gonorrhea rate dropped to an all-time low in 2004, the government has reported steadily increasing rates.
Congenital syphilis, a severe infection often passed from mothers to infants through the placenta, experienced an increase for the first time in 15 years.
Almost half of all children infected with congenital syphilis die in the womb or shortly after birth.
Despite goals laid out by the Center for Disease Control, new HIV cases have failed to decline annually. Some health professionals believe a lack of education is to blame.
"The vast majority of HIV infections are transmitted…at mucosal surfaces," Ed Janoff, University of Colorado Denver department of medicine, said.
While condoms do aid the fight against sexually transmitted diseases, infections like chlamydia can be passed during safe sex.
The CDC recommends annual screening for sexually active women under the age of 25.
The previous record was gonorrhea, which also plagued over a million people in 1978.
Some health officials remain optimistic, saying the large number may be due to better detection through more powerful screening.
Chlamydia, which can lead to infertility in women, shows no noticeable symptoms in about three-quarters of all cases.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, under-reporting is substantial because most people with chlamydia are unaware of their symptoms and do not seek proper testing. Once detected, chlamydia can easily be treated with routine antibiotics.
Although just over a million cases were reported in 2006, the Center for Disease Control estimates that approximately 2.8 million Americans are infected each year.
Women infected with chlamydia are five times more likely to be infected with HIV. Advocacy groups are hopeful that increased funding will result in a decrease of sexually transmitted diseases.
"To cut the number of infections, we need to do more," Terje Anderson, director of the National Association of People Living with AIDS, said. "We desperately need more resources."
Gonorrhea is also showing a comeback on the national stage after federal health officials report jumping rates due to a "superbug" form of the disease that is resistant to antibiotics.
After the gonorrhea rate dropped to an all-time low in 2004, the government has reported steadily increasing rates.
Congenital syphilis, a severe infection often passed from mothers to infants through the placenta, experienced an increase for the first time in 15 years.
Almost half of all children infected with congenital syphilis die in the womb or shortly after birth.
Despite goals laid out by the Center for Disease Control, new HIV cases have failed to decline annually. Some health professionals believe a lack of education is to blame.
"The vast majority of HIV infections are transmitted…at mucosal surfaces," Ed Janoff, University of Colorado Denver department of medicine, said.
While condoms do aid the fight against sexually transmitted diseases, infections like chlamydia can be passed during safe sex.
The CDC recommends annual screening for sexually active women under the age of 25.
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