Alaska Says Cases of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Rise

Alaska’s chlamydia rate tops the national list, and rural areas of the state are becoming increasingly impacted, the Alaska Division of Public Health reports.

In 2010, 6,026 cases of chlamydia were documented in Alaska, marking a 13 percent increase from 2009. The state rate of 849 cases per 100,000 persons is more than double the US rate of 417, according to the department.

Although national gonorrhea reports declined in 2010, Alaska’s 1,273 cases mark an increase of 23 percent. According to state officials, Alaska’s rate was 179 per 100,000 persons, while the US rate was 99.

“The burden of chlamydia and gonorrhea is in the young population,” said Susan Jones, Alaska’s HIV and STD program coordinator. “Alaska on average has a young population compared to most states,” contributing to its chlamydia and gonorrhea rates.

In addition, Jones said STDs are widespread among ethnic groups. The state’s highest infection rates are in rural areas with primarily native Alaskan residents, she said. Untimely treatment in those areas exacerbates the problem, she added.

The Alaska Medical Board recently started allowing physicians to write prescriptions for the partners of STD patients without them having to be examined.

Jones noted that chlamydia infections are on the rise nationwide, although less remarkably than in Alaska, because the disease is often asymptomatic. “Probably 85 percent of the people who have chlamydia will never know it,” she said. Left undetected and untreated, the STD can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease causing female infertility, said Jones. Chlamydia is “not a benign infection,” she said.

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