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Chlamydia and gonorrhea were the most rampant among people under 30, with rates of chlamydia highest among young women.
(AP)
California reached a record high in the number of sexually transmitted disease cases last year, with the state seeing an overall 45 percent spike in the number of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases over the past five years.
According to the state report, officials are most concerned about an uptick in the number of stillbirths due to congenital syphilis.
The data, which was compiled by the California Department of Public Health, revealed chlamydia and gonorrhea to be most rampant among people under 30, with rates of chlamydia highest among young women. Men accounted for the majority of syphilis and gonorrhea cases.
If left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea can result in infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain, while syphilis can cause blindness, hearing loss and neurologic issues. With more than 300,000 cases of all three diseases reported in the state in 2017, researchers counted 30 stillbirths resulting from congenital syphilis.
“For California to have a steady increase in congenital syphilis is shameful,” Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, a professor of medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, told the Associated Press. “We’ve known how to control syphilis since early 1900s. Seeing it come back like this is a sign of failure of the public health safety net.”
Klausner also said sex education and programs in the community will help lessen the stigma surrounding these conditions.
“While there are advocates and champions for cancer, nobody is out there saying, ‘I have gonorrhea and these are the best ways to treat it,’” Klausner told the Associated Press. “There’s no one out there being a champion for these conditions.”
While the health department is now planning a public effort to spread awareness about the dangers of STDs and how to protect against them, the head of the state’s STD Control Branch said budget issues likely played a role in the uptick of cases.
Dr. Heidi Bauer estimated that about $20 million in state and federal money is allocated annually to fighting STDs. With a state population of nearly 40 million, Bauer said it isn’t enough, especially in areas struggling with poverty, substance abuse, mental health issues and homelessness.
The Associated Press and Fox News’ Alexandria Hein contributed to this report.
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