The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) released the Sexually Transmitted Disease ( STD ) Surveillance Report for 2007 on Jan. 13. The document revealed the extremely high transmission rates of STDs in the United States and the burden that these diseases put on the population, especially in young people, women, and minorities.
The CDC report is an annual surveillance report, which highlights the number of sexually transmitted infections on national and local levels. This data is used to target the general public, public agencies and providers in order to raise awareness about the current state of these epidemics.
It is estimated that almost 19 million new infections occur each year, with almost half of them affecting young people 15 to 24. The surveillance report also shows that biological factors place women at a higher risk than men to the health consequences of STDs, and that men who have sex with men as well as African-American men and women have shown increases in HIV transmissions.
But the two most infectious diseases in the United States to date are chlamydia and gonorrhea. In 2007 alone, more than 1.1 million chlamydia cases were reported to the CDC—the highest number of recorded cases in history.
"Sexually transmitted infections represent the hidden epidemic," said Dr. Will Wong, medical director of the STD/HIV program for the Chicago Department of Public Heath ( CDPH ) . "I think that really emphasizes the need for additional screening efforts and attention to chlamydia because most sexually transmitted diseases have no signs or symptoms."
The CDC report ranks Illinois 10th among the 50 states for chlamydia, with a rate of 432.2 cases per 100,000 people; 9th for gonorrhea with a rate of 162.2 cases per 100,000 people; and 16th for syphilis at a rate of 3.6 cases per 100,000 people. These numbers have been fairly consistent throughout the years, according to Wong.
"In terms of numbers of cases and case rates that were presented in the report, the state of Illinois has remained pretty steady over the past couple of years," he said. "Locally, in the city of Chicago, cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia have remained steady over the last three years. We are actually finding more cases of chlamydia through better more targeted screening efforts. When we do screening and testing, we're testing the right population and applying public health dollars efficiency to screen the right population."
And although the amount of federal funding has drastically declined, Wong said that the CDPH does the best it can with the resources they have. Every year, the department takes part in various active campaigns to create awareness to draw attention to the importance of sexual health. It hosts outreach programs, and participates in Pride events as well as other events that are scheduled throughout the year, including World AIDS Day and AIDS Awareness Month. The CDPH also has five STD clinics that offer free confidential care for people who are seeking treating services.
There are also many things that the local community can do to raise awareness about these issues, Wong added. He said that an overall sense of inclusion is needed in order to prevent and perhaps stop the spread of these diseases.
"The first thing is to become better informed on the presence of sexually transmitted infections," said Wong. "The CDPH has active programs where persons can take part in community forums and become involved in inseminating this information, creating the awareness around sexually transmitted infections and HIV and actively engaging in many of the STD and HIV awareness months. Getting involved in activities is a good example of involvement within a community."
