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Highlands Today

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

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By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: February 25, 2009

SEBRING - The trend lines of sexually transmitted diseases in Highlands County are climbing, according to the most recent statistics released by the Florida Department of Health.

The most upsetting: 49 local people have died of HIV/AIDS in the past 10 years. An average of 11 new cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome have appeared here each year since 1998.

About two people a week are infected with STDs, said Frances Pinero, STD prevention and control director for Polk and Highlands counties.

"About 30 percent are ages 15 to 19," she said.
Chlamydia
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 19 million STD infections occur annually in the United States.

The most out-of-control disease is chlamydia. In 2007, 1.1 million cases of sexually transmitted infection were reported to the CDC, making it the most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States.

"This is the largest number of cases ever reported for any condition," the CDC said. Thirty-seven of every 10,000 men and women have chalmydia, a 7.5 percent increase.

In Highlands County, less than 100 chlamydia cases were reported in 1998. Throughout the 21st century, that rate tripled, peaking in 2006 at 287 cases per 100,000 population. Highlands County has about 100,000 people.

Rates of reported chlamydial infections among women have been increasing annually since the late 1980s, when public programs for screening and treatment of women were first established.

Young, sexually active females should be tested every year. Most people who have chlamydia don't know it. Often the disease has no symptoms, making it easy to pass to others without knowing it.

Females with symptoms may notice an unusual discharge along with fever, pain, bleeding.

Men can get chlamydia in the penis or rectum.

Gonorrhea

The South had the highest gonorrhea rate among the four regions of the country. Although the gonorrhea rate in the South declined for many years, it increased by 5.3 percent between 2003 and 2006.

In Highlands County, the gonorrhea numbers are zigzagging. In 1998, 94 cases per 100,000 were reported, rising to 185 in 1999. The numbers dropped to 61 in 2003, but were back to up 77 in 2007.

Gonorrhea is the second most frequent bacterial STD infection. Like HIV, chlamydia and syphilis, gonorrhea can be passed by from one person to another during vaginal, anal and oral sex.

One common symptom among those who experience gonorrhea infections is pain while urinating, which usually appears within 10 days after being exposed. However, women often have no symptoms.

Syphilis

The syphilis rate in the United States declined by 89 percent from 1990 through 2000.

In Highlands County, only seven cases have been reported in the last 10 years.

In 2007, 11,466 cases of syphilis in the U.S. were reported to CDC, corresponding to a rate of 3.8 cases per 100,000 population. The syphilis rate has been declining among blacks: in 2007, the rate among blacks was seven times the rate of whites. However, in 1999, the rate among blacks was 29 times greater than whites.

Syphilis symptoms may never show, but usually appear from one to 12 weeks after being exposed. The bacteria develops in four stages, each with a different set of symptoms. During the primary stage a painless sore usually develops from 10 to 90 days at the site where the bacteria entered the body. A person is highly contagious during the primary stage.

In men, a sore often appears on the genital area. In women, sores can develop on the outer genitals or inside the vagina. In the secondary stage, a reddish brown rash develops over the body and includes the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. In dark-skinned people, sores may be lighter than the surrounding skin.

When syphilis has spread throughout the body, symptoms may include fever, sore throat, weakness, weight loss, hair loss, and swelling of the lymph nodes.

Congenital syphilis may be passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or labor.

STDs In Highlands County
Total Gonorrhea, Chlamydia And Syphilis Cases*

1998199920002001200220032004200520062007

197356337323289249289281337337

*Per 100,000 population

Highlands Today senior reporter Gary Pinnell can be reached at gpinnell@highlandstoday.com or 863-386-5828

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