The information about sexually transmitted disease rates comes from the organization BackgroundChecks.org, compiled by data analyst Trent Wilson. The analysis follows on from a Digital Journal article from Karen Graham in 2016 which reviewed data released from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); here the pattern of sexually transmitted diseases indicated more reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases in 2015 than ever before in the U.S.
Trent Wilson’s figures reveal some interesting trends. The data is based on a rate of incidents per 100,000 residents normalized for population. Two sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were considered: gonorrhea and chlamydia. Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Most of those infected show no symptoms; with those that do there are gender differences. Men can experience a burning sensation with urination or testicular pain and women can have a burning vaginal discharge or pelvic pain. The disease can lead to more serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease in women and inflammation of the epididymis (a structure at the back of the testicle) in men. Heart disease is a risk with both men and women.
Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Symptoms in women include vaginal discharge or burning with urination; and in men, symptoms include discharge from the penis and burning with urination. In serious cases the infection can spread to the upper genital tract and it may result in future infertility in women.
Both diseases are serious and they are on the rise in most parts of the world, stressing the importance of the using appropriate prophylaxis like condoms. in terms of the highest rates in the U.S., the top ten states with the worst rates across the two STIs were:
1 Alaska
2 Louisiana
3 North Carolina
4 Mississippi
5 New Mexico
6 South Carolina
7 Georgia
8 Oklahoma
9 Arkansas
10 Alabama
Within this, Louisiana has the worst levels of gonorrhea infection and Alaska the worst for chlamydia.
Whereas those with the best records (that is lowest STI rates) are:
1 New Jersey
2 Connecticut
3 Massachusetts
4 Wyoming
5 Idaho
6 Utah
7 Vermont
8 Maine
9 West Virginia
10 New Hampshire
Here New Hampshire has the U.S.’s lowest rates for both gonorrhea and chlamydia infection.
The reasons for these differences appear to relate to the amount of money spent on sex education and the quality of the educational resources.
In related news, the therapeutic effects of carbon monoxide-releasing molecules have been used to develop a new antibiotic to combat the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.
