Teen Girls' Chlamydia Drives STD Rate Up

Nov. 16, 2009 - Teen girls and young women have the highest rates of chlamydia, the sexually
transmitted disease that's exploding across the U.S.
More than 1.2 million cases have been officially reported, the largest
number of cases for any of the diseases that must be reported to the CDC.
Because chlamydia infections usually don't cause symptoms until they result
in pelvic
inflammatory disease, many cases remain undetected and hence unreported.
Sexually active girls and women under age 26 should be screened for chlamydia
every year, but only 41.6% of eligible women enrolled in Medicaid or private
health plans do so.
Chlamydia rates are three times higher in women than in men and eight times
higher in African-Americans than in whites.
Left untreated, some 10% to 20% of chlamydia infections cause pelvic
inflammatory disease. That can lead to long-lasting pelvic
pain, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. Every year, the CDC estimates, chlamydia and
other STDs leave at least 24,000 U.S. women unable to bear children.
Girls ages 15 to 19 have the highest chlamydia rate: 3,276 cases per 100,000
females. The rate is only a little lower in women ages 20 to 24: 3,180 cases
per 100,000 females.
Overall, chlamydia rates went up 9.2% from 2007 to 2008, the most recent
year for which there is data. Some of the increase is due to increased
screening, but the CDC suspects that much of the increase reflects a rising
number of new infections.
Chlamydia rates ranged from state to state, with rates highest in
Mississippi and Alaska (each with more than 700 cases per 100,000
population) and lowest in New Hampshire, West Virginia, Vermont, and Maine
(each with under 200 cases per 100,000 population.
However, 57% of chlamydia cases are in cities. Here's the ranking, by
chlamydia rate, of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.:
 




Metropolitan Statistical Area




2008 Cases




2008 Rate
 per 100,000





Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark.


9,199


1,385.9




Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C.


8,789


1,036.3




Birmingham-Hoover, Ala.


4,948


862.6




Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich.


18,826


824.1




Jacksonville, Fla.


5,392


810.8




Richmond, Va.


4,981


797.8




Baltimore-Towson, Md.


10,774


779.4




Austin-Round Rock, TX


5,933


760.4




Indianapolis, IN


6,352


736.9




Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN


8,031


735.7




San Antonio, TX


7,206


709.7




Kansas City, MO-KS


7,115


703.7




St. Louis, MO-IL


10,166


702.3




Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Tonawanda, NY


4,076


697.6




New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA


3,722


694.3




San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif.


10,257


692.7




Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-NJ-DE-MD


20,708


687.8




Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind-Wis.


33,220


687.3




Oklahoma City, Okl.


4,119


681.3




Rochester, N..Y


3,594


680.9




Columbus, Ohio


6,027


678.5




Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX


20,125


658.5




Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC


5,469


649.6




Las Vegas-Paradise, NV


5,842


647.7




Denver-Aurora, CO


7,824


637.6




Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX


17,287


615.4





U.S. MSA TOTAL




501,750




607.0





Orlando, FL


6,160


600.9




Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH


6,487


595.9




Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA


38,100


587.7




New York-Newark-Edison, NY-NJ-PA


56,829


584.9




Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL


8,099


579.4




Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT


3,474


569.4




Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, CA


5,997


564.5




Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA


14,898


557.9




Louisville, Ky.-Ind.


3,504


554.3




Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV


14,967


550.7




San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif.


11,514


544.5




Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.


10,725


518.3




Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, Tenn.


3,916


507.5




Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.


10,009


490.9




Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.


7,975


481.2




San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.


4,218


478.8




Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, Fla.


13,144


472.6




Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis.


7,037


436.5




Salt Lake City, Utah


2,254


417.0




Pittsburgh, Pa.


5,092


416.6




Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash.


4,468


409.6




Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, R.I-.Mass.


3,327


402.3




Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H.


8,458


367.2




Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis.


1,116


141.3



http://www .webmd.com/sex/news/20091116/teen-girls-chlamydia-drives-std-rate-up?src=RSS_PUBLIC