ATLANTA, GA —Over a million cases of chlamydia were reported in the United States this year — the most ever for a sexually transmitted infection, according to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention.The rate of gonorrhea infection is also up after record lows and a growing number of the cases are caused by a “superbug” that resists antibiotics.
Syphilis infection rates are also on the rise for the first time in 15 years.
“Hopefully we will not see this turn into a trend,” said Dr. Khalil Ghanem, an infectious diseases specialist at Johns Hopkins University’s School of medicine.
The CDC releases a yearly report on chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, three diseases caused by sexually transmitted bacteria.
CDC officials say the chlamydia record may not be all bad news: They think the higher number is largely a result of better and more intensive screening. The CDC has recommended annual screening in sexually active women ages 15 – 25.
About three-quarters of women infected with chlamydia have no symptoms. Left untreated, the infection can spread and ultimately can lead to infertility. It is easily treated if caught early.
Health officials believe as many as 2.8 million new cases may actually be occurring each year.
“If (health care) providers think young women in their practice don’t have chlamydia, they should think again,” said Dr. Stuart Berman, a CDC epidemiologist.
Since 2005, health officials have seen two consecutive years of increases in gonorrhea infections. The 2006 rate — about 121 per 100,000 — represents a 5.5-percent increase from 2005.
The CDC doesn’t believe that things like the superbugs — accounting for 14-percent of all gonorrhea infections– are the reason for gonorrhea’s escalating numbers overall, but it is not completely sure what is driving the increase.
Other doctors are worried. The superbug gonorrhea has been on the rise not only in California and Hawaii, where the problem has been most noticeable, but also in the South and parts of the Midwest.
“Suddenly we’re starting to see the spread,” Ghanem said.
Syphilis, a potentially fatal infection that first shows up as genital sores, has thankfully become relatively rare in the United States. About 9,800 cases of the most contagious forms or syphilis were reported in 2006, up from about 8,700 in 2005.
