Missouri: St. Louis Leads the Nation in Rates of Gonorrhea

St. Louis leads the nation in rates of gonorrhea and ranks second in chlamydia and fifth in syphilis, a CDC report released yesterday showed. Last year, 2,440 gonorrhea cases were reported in St. Louis, a rate of 734 cases per 100,000 people. Fewer than 50 cases of primary and secondary syphilis were reported in the city last year, while 4,130 chlamydia cases were reported, a rate of 1,243 cases per 100,000. Dr. William Kincaid, the city health department director, said St. Louis officials are focused on improving public health surveillance, increasing access to clinical services, and strengthening community involvement. "We want to get the word out that these diseases are treatable, and we want to get people into treatment as fast as we can," said Kincaid. People spreading STDs through unprotected sex could also be transmitting HIV, he said.

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