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Hiv, Gonorrhea, And Syphilis

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Introduction Sexually transmitted diseases in the United States are on the rise after several years of decline. Three STD’s in particular are a concern to health care providers: gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. The CDC reports that the reports for chlamydia are up 27% from four years ago (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The numbers are even more startling when looking at these three STD’s in St. Louis city. I ask these questions when writing the brief: 1.) Does St. Louis address these rising concerns differently than other metropolitan areas in the nation? And 2.) What have other cities done in the United States to combat the growing number of teenagers and young adults with STDs. Background The St. Louis region was named the STD capital of the world for the 5th consecutive year since 2010 (CDC, 2015). In 2015, there had been a recorded 14,961 cases of chlamydia, the 17th highest per-capita rate in the country (CDC, 2016). Rates of syphilis stayed relatively steady at just over 400 cases in the metro area. The city of St. Louis, however, measured the highest rate of both chlamydia and gonorrhea among counties and independent cities. These numbers are both up from 2014 (CDC 2016). Although rates of Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and syphilis are increasing in many parts of the nation, teens and young adults ages 15 to 24 account for nearly two-thirds of diagnosed cases of chlamydia and half of gonorrhea cases (figure 1). Although everyone sexually active can

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