3 Major STDs Becoming More Prevalent In Maryland, CDC Says
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows three sexually transmitted diseases are increasing in prevalence in Maryland and the Baltimore metropolitan area.
The data, included in the CDC's 2018 STD surveillance report, show cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are up in Maryland and Baltimore in recent years.
Maryland ranked 12th in the country in the rate of cases of chlamydia, with just over 586 cases reported per 100,000 people.
In 2018, the state recorded 35,482 cases of chlamydia, an increase of more than 2,000 from 2017.
In the Baltimore metro area, which includes Towson and Columbia, there were 17,466 cases in 2018 compared to 16,766 the previous year.
Syphilis cases were also up in Baltimore in 2018, with 1,392 reported last year compared to 1,084 in 2017 and 816 in 2014.
Statewide, Maryland reported 2,536 cases in 2018 and 2,059 in 2017.
Overall cases of gonorrhea in Maryland were down slightly from 2017, with 10,305 cases reported in 2018 and 10,978 in 2017. Still, there were nearly 4,200 more cases statewide than there were in 2014.
Baltimore saw 5,998 cases of gonorrhea in 2018, down from 6,892 the previous year but around 2,500 more than in 2014.
The CDC said all three diseases increased in prevalence across the country among men and women regardless of region or race.