A recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention study indicates Louisiana has the nation’s worst gonorrhea rate and also has some of the highest rates of chlamydia and syphilis in the United States.
Although the sexually transmitted diseases occur throughout the country, the study results show Louisiana to be one of the states where they are most common.
According to the study, 2002 was the second year in a row that Louisiana had the most cases of gonorrhea, with 254.8 per 100,000 people affected in the state. In addition, Louisiana ranks in the top ten of cases of chlamydia and syphilis.
The study also reported that 412.7 people per 100,000 in Louisiana are affected with chlamydia, and 775 patients in Louisiana were treated for syphilis in 2002.
Dr. Timothy Honigman, the Student Health Center chief of staff, said the statistics are “obviously worrisome.”
Despite the statistics, Honigman said he does not see many cases of gonorrhea on campus. He said the most common STD he sees among University students is genital warts.
The CDC reported the highest number of gonorrhea cases are among teenagers, young adults and African-Americans. Although symptoms can initially be mild and take up to a month to appear, the disease can spread to blood and joints, and those infected can be more susceptible to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Although antibiotics can cure gonorrhea in most teens and adults, the CDC reported successful treatment is becoming more difficult as more drug-resistant strains of the infection develop.
The CDC named chlamydia as the most frequently reported sexually transmitted disease, but also one of the most underreported ones because many people are unaware they have the disease.
While chlamydia can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics, the CDC recommends an annual screening test for all sexually active women 25 and younger.
According to the CDC, at least 50 percent of sexually active people get genital warts at some point in their lives. Although there is no cure, the infection usually goes away on its own for most women.
Honigman said typical risk factors for contracting sexually transmitted diseases include having unprotected sex and having sex with multiple partners.
Honigman suggested having long discussions with a partner before having sex, but both Honigman and the CDC said the only sure protection from STDs is abstinence.