Rate of STD infection rises

The number of Minnesotans infected with a sexually transmitted disease rose in 2007, as it has every year since 1996.
More than 17,000 people became infected with chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis in 2007. That’s a 3.8 percent increase over 2006.
Reportable STDs, also known as sexually transmitted infections, in Minnesota include chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.
“The rate of chlamydia, which can cause infertility, has more than doubled in the past 12 years and is the driving force behind these record number of STD cases,” said Peter Carr, director of the STD and HIV Section at the Minnesota Department of Health. “Chlamydia accounted for more than three-fourths of the total number of cases.”
Falls school district nurse Doreen Swendsen said she has been concerned about the record numbers of STDs occurring in Minnesota.
In Koochiching County, 35 cases of chlamydia were reported in 2007. The number of reported cases in 2006 was 18. Sixteen cases were reported in 2005, while 17 cases were reported in 2004.
“We need to be aware that an increase in STI rates is not unique to our community. But we also need to be aware that we are not immune to it, either,” Swendsen said.
Health officials noted that among the 13,412 chlamydia cases, nearly 70 percent occurred in teens and young adults ages 15 to 24. The greatest increases for chlamydia, compared to 2006 data, have been in greater Minnesota with an 8 percent increase, and in Twin City suburbs with a 4 percent increase.
The increase in cases of chlamydia in Koochiching mirrors that of the rest of greater Minnesota, according to Swendsen. Between 1996 and 2006, rural Minnesota saw a significant increase in chlamydia rates compared to the Twin Cities area, according to Swendsen.
In the past, the prevalence of STDs has been higher in urban areas. But studies show that risk behaviors associated with contracting an STD — being sexually active, not using a condom, alcohol and tobacco use — are equally prevalent in both urban and rural areas, according to Swendsen.
Health experts say the main reasons are inadequate sex education, screening and treatment. They say the problem is compounded by some family doctors and pediatricians who are uncomfortable talking about sex to young patients at risk.
Swendsen wants young people to know that early sexual activity with multiple partners increases a person’s risk for an STD. But if it does happen, it shouldn’t ruin a young person’s life, Swendsen said.
Swendsen said that now is the perfect time to focus on prevention in the community, before the rates begin to equal those in urban areas.
In over 75 percent of women and over 50 percent of men, there are no symptoms of chlamydia infection, according to Swendsen. The infection goes into the reproductive system unnoticed to cause damage and the person doesn’t know they are infected until the damage is bad, Swendsen said. Chlamydia is easily treated with one dose of a common antibiotic, Swendsen said.
Prevention efforts need to be in place that include routine testing of sexually active young people, especially people ages 15 to 24, and treatment of those infected, along with their partners, according to Swendsen.
“As caring parents, adult family members and community health professionals, let’s support the medical standard of routine STI testing for sexually active young people, and stop the ‘silent STI,’ chlamydia,” Swendsen said.
Swendsen said she wants the community to know that testing can be completed in locations in International Falls — the Duluth Clinic on Keenan Drive and the Koochiching Family Planning, 205 Third St.
Swendsen also wanted to remind parents that they can discuss risk behaviors, immunizations and more when they meet with their children’s health care provider for wellness checks, and by doing so, they are helping to keep their child safe.
Guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention call for annual screenings of all sexually active women aged 25 and under and for women over 25 that have risk factors such as a new sexual partner.
“Guidelines and screenings are only a part of the solution,” Carr said. “A missing piece is that not enough sexual partners of those already diagnosed are being notified about their need to be tested and treated. Untreated partners remain reservoirs for spreading the disease.”
Last week, an effort fell apart at the Legislature to provide $1.3 million in state money for screening and public education. Experts say failure to do something virtually ensures that STD rates will continue to rise, especially among teenagers.
“We also saw an increase in the number of gonorrhea and syphilis cases reported in 2007,” said Carr. “Both of these STDs are serious if not detected and treated in their early stages.”
No cases of gonorrhea were reported in Koochiching County in 2007.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.