FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16th, 2007

Attn: Fred Wyand
P.O. Box 13827
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
(919) 361 - 3124 (voice)
(919) 361 - 8425 (fax)
mediarelations@ashastd.org

Gonorrhea Rates Increasing in Western States

Research Triangle Park, NC - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data in its March 16th Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that show a sharp rise in the number of gonorrhea cases in western states.

The West has historically had lower gonorrhea rates than the rest of the U.S. but from 2000-2005, rates in eight western states increased 42% to 81.5 cases per 100,000 people. During the same period, rates in the South, Midwest, and Northeast declined 5%-22%. The increases in the west were seen across all age and ethnic groups, and both genders. The states, each of which experienced at least a 25% increase in gonorrhea rates, include Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

"This report is a wake up call," said Lynn Barclay, President of the American Social Health Association. "Infections rates rise, yet funding for programs to prevent and treat infections decrease, or remained stagnant. Only with a real investment in prevention and treatment will see an end to this epidemic."

Increased testing for gonorrhea (and the use of more sophisticated tests) may factor into the higher rates, but the report says there is likely a real increase in gonorrhea incidence; the number of men seeking healthcare for symptomatic gonorrhea has gone up, for example, a circumstance not likely related to expanded testing. Other possible causes include the spread of gonorrhea into high-risk social networks (such as methamphetamine users), fewer resources allotted to gonorrhea control programs, and changes in the Neisseria gonorrhoeae organism

CDC estimates there are over 700,000 new cases of gonorrhea in the U.S. each year. The infection often doesn’t cause symptoms right away and if untreated in women often leads to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a condition that can cause chronic pain and impair fertility. In men, untreated gonorrhea can damage the testicles and also lead to infertility. Those with gonorrhea are also more likely to contract HIV.

 Barclay also expressed concern about the consequences of untreated gonorrhea:  "The economic and social consequences of ignoring this increase are staggering. Gonorrhea plays a big role in HIV transmission. A person infected with gonorrhea has a greater risk of getting HIV. And, HIV is more contagious from a person who also has a gonorrhea infection. This is a serious infection, and states

Read ASHA’s Gonorrhea Fact sheet at http://www.ashastd.org/pdfs/Gonorrhea_factsheet.pdf