Your likelihood of catching an STD depends on where you live, according to a new study.
The new report — using data from the Centers for Disease and Prevention, as well as state and county health info and social media surveys — compiled the “best and worst” states for STDs in America. The report by BackgroundChecks.org found Alaska as the “most sexually diseased state” — with 151.1 cases of gonorrhea per 100,000 residents and a chlamydia rate of 768.3 per 100,000 people.
Rounding out the top five worst states were: Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi and New Mexico.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, New Hampshire was the least diseased state, with just 18.5 cases of gonorrhea per 100,000 residents and a chlamydia rate of 233.3 per 100,000 people. West Virginia, Maine, Vermont and Utah also reported the lowest STD rates, according to the report.
In November, the CDC announced an “unprecedented high” of combined cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis reported in 2015 reached the highest number ever, with a 19 percent increase in syphilis from the previous year. People ages 15 to 24 accounted for nearly two-thirds of new chlamydia diagnoses and half of all gonorrhea cases, according to the 2015 data.
“We have reached a decisive moment for the nation,” Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said in a statement.
“STD rates are rising, and many of the country’s systems for preventing STDs have eroded. We must mobilize, rebuild and expand services – or the human and economic burden will continue to grow.”
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