110M STD cases in U.S.; under-25 most at risk
Chlamydia, gonorrhea rates highest mostly in Southeast
Mike Moffitt, SFGATE
Jan. 26, 2015 Updated: Jan. 26, 2015 4 a.m.
1of12A couple dances on the beach at South Padre Island, Texas, during Spring Break. Texas has the 11th highest STD rate in the country. Full list follows.Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesShow MoreShow Less
Total STD rate per 100,000 people: 633.8
-Chlamydia: 498.3
-Gonorrhea: 129.8
-Syphilis: 5.7
Sex education required? No. If schools do decide to teach it, abstinence must be stressed above all else.
No. 20 richest state
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10.North Carolina
Sex education required? Yes.
No. 13 poorest state
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9.Arkansas
-Syphilis: 6
No. 8 poorest state
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-Syphilis: 10.3
Sex education required? Yes, must include information on abstinence but not contraception. Does not have to be medically accurate.
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Total STD rate per 100,000 people: 683
-Gonorrhea: 92
Sex education required? No, except for AIDS/HIV instruction
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Sex education required? Yes, but does not have to be medically accurate.
No. 8 richest state
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4. Mississippi
Sex education required? Permission must be obtained from state Dept. of education in order to discuss contraception or STDs. Information does not have to be medically accurate.
Poorest state in the nation
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-Chlamydia: 611
Sex education required? No.
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2: Lousiana
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1.Alaska
6th richest state
Obviously you shouldn't have unprotected casual sex, but it you do, you might want to
avoid the Deep South.
Especially if you're between the ages of 15 and 24.
According to new 2013 figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on
sexually transmitted diseases, eight of the 11 states with the highest rates of chlamydia,
gonorrhea and syphilis cases were in the Southeast. (The CDC did not release new statistics
for HIV/AIDS.)
California ranked 22, with 549 cases per 100,000 residents.
In the United States, 20 million cases of new sexually transmitted infections occur every
year from just eight viruses and bacteria, according to the CDC. What's worse is that,
because many people don't realize they're infected, the number of existing infections in
the U.S. at any given time is much greater -- about 110 million, the CDC estimates.
Fifty percent of new infections occurs in young people, 15-24, despite the fact that this
group represents only a quarter of people who have had sex.
Why is the South a hotspot for sexually transmitted diseases?
Probably two reasons, poverty and education.
For example, in Lousiana, the state with the second highest rate of STDs, 17.9 percent of
people were living below the poverty line in 2011, according to the National Coalition of
STD Directors. That year, Lousiana was ranked as the unhealthiest state in the country.
In 2014, Louisiana had the fourth highest number of households with annual earnings less than $25,000.
Louisiana does not require sex education, and if local school districts decide if they do
want to teach it, abstinence must be stressed over contraceptives. In fact, teaching about
contraceptives isn't mandated at all.
Here are the states with the highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Included are whether they require sex education and their respective ranking in Wallethub's list of 2014's richest and poorest states.
Mike Moffitt
Reporter Mike Moffitt has been writing and editing stories for newspapers and news websites for more than 25 years. Before joining the SFGate team, he worked at the San Francisco Examiner, Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette. He covers news, politics, science, sports, outdoors and Bay Area history.