Cases of sexually transmitted diseases spike in US

The incidence of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, three diseases caused by sexually transmitted bacteria, is on rise across the United States, according to an annual report on sexually transmitted diseases released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of newly diagnosed cases of the above mentioned most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) rose for the second year in the country, federal health officials reported Tuesday.

Last year, 1,030,911 cases of chlamydia, the most commonly nationally reported infectious disease in 2006, were reported in the United States. The figures are the highest ever recorded for any sexually transmitted disease in any year. More than 976,440 cases of chlamydia, which can lead to infertility in women if not treated, were reported in 2005.

However, researchers from the CDC's division of STD prevention, which produced the report, believe the figures are probably inaccurate as it is a silent infection with few obvious symptoms in its initial stages, and scores of cases are likely going undiagnosed. Experts said that because of underreporting, a more accurate estimate of new chlamydia cases last year is 2.8 million.

"We have reason to believe that chlamydia is dramatically underreported," said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of the CDC's division of STD prevention. "We believe since it's underreported, it probably represents a much bigger iceberg," he added.

After hitting a record low, rates of the second most commonly reported infectious disease gonorrhea jumped again in 2005. In 2006, 358,366 gonorrhea cases were reported, of which 13.8 percent were antibiotic-resistant, compared to 9.4 percent in 2005.

More than one million cases of gonorrhea were reported each year from 1976 to 1980. After touching a peak of 1,013,00 cases, gonorrhea then declined steadily. From 1975 through 1997 the reported rate of gonorrhea dropped 74 percent.

Cases of Syphilis, a potentially deadly disease that first shows up as genital sores, also increased about 12% from 2005 to 2006. Nearly 9,800 cases of the most contagious forms of syphilis were reported in 2006, up from about 8,700 in 2005.

Overall more than 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are reported last year in the United States.

Expressing concern over a spike in sexually transmitted diseases last year, Dr. Douglas said, “STDs represent a substantial threat to Americans and increases in all three of these STDs underscore the need for vigilance."

According to health officials, mainly young women, minorities and men who have sex with men are hard-hit by the infections.

Gonorrhea is the second most commonly sexually-transmitted disease. It is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow and multiply easily in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, and in the urethra in women and men, it infects over 700,000 people in the United States annually.

The disease affects people of all age, race ,socioeconomic level but the highest rates of infection are among sexually active teens, young adults and African-American. In the early stages of gonorrheal infection, over half of infected women have no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, there may be burning on urination, frequent urination, yellowish vaginal discharge, redness of the genitals, swelling of the genitals, and a burning or itching of the vaginal area.

The individuals with multiple sexual partners and who use no barrier contraception, such as condoms, are most at-risk for developing gonorrhea.