Sexually transmitted diseases trend upward nationally and in Ohio

SANDUSKY — Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise both across the U.S. and in Ohio, according to government tracking.Erie County isn't doing great, either, where cases of gonorrhea rose steadily, said the epidemiologist for the Erie County Health Department, Ashley Franks.The Centers for Disease Control reported at the end of August almost 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the United States in 2017. That's 200,000 more cases than in 2016, which had set the previous record.From 2013 to 2017, gonorrhea diagnoses went up 67 percent, from about 333,000 to 555,600 cases, the CDC said. During the same time period, syphilis diagnoses were up 76 percent, from about 17,400 to 30,600 cases.Ohio numbers from the state health department show a similar story.From 2013 to 2017, gonorrhea went up from about 16,000 cases in 2013 to 24,000 cases in 2017. Syphilis cases during the same period rose from about 1,000 to 1,900. Chlamydia cases went from about 54,300 to 61,400.Franks said that while chlamydia cases in Erie County have remained steady, gonorrhea cases should an upward trend."From 2014 – 2017, the number of newly diagnosed gonorrhea cases has increased each year, with the most significant increase (34 percent) between 2016 and 2017 (2014: 152 cases, 2015: 162 cases, 2016: 189 cases, 2017: 253 cases, 2018: 127 cases through September)," she wrote in an email.People from 15 to 29 years old account for the vast majority of the cases, she said.According to the CDC, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are curable with antibiotics but that most cases aren't diagnosed and, therefore, aren't treated. The resulting ill effects include infertility, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth in infants, and increased HIV risk.The CDC states a range of factors may contribute to STD increases, including socioeconomic factors like poverty, stigma, and discrimination; and drug use.The CDC didn't immediately respond when asked for clarity on why STD cases are rising.But in an interview with The Atlantic magazine, Gail Bolan, the director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention, said a decline in condom use could be a factor, as well as people who inject illegal drugs. She said that "injecting drugs was also associated with higher rates of forced sex, sex with people who exchange money or drugs for sex, and sex with other people who inject drugs," which she said are all risk factors. The Erie County Health Department provides medical care for sexually transmitted diseases to everyone, regardless of ability to pay, Franks said."Services are provided to all individuals (insured, uninsured, and underinsured). A sliding fee discount is available to those who qualify. Specific medications used to treat STDs diagnosed during the health center visit are available at no cost for those who are uninsured," she wrote in an email.An Erie County Health Department graphic shows a steady rise in gonorrhea cases in the last few years.