( STACKER ) — Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise, putting more people at risk as they spread. Chlamydia rates have nearly doubled since 2000, while the rate of gonorrhea went up by 50% over the same period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that syphilis rates are reaching levels last seen in the 1950s.
But some regions of the U.S. are seeing higher rates than others.
Stacker used CDC data to look at which counties reported the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections in Utah. Counties are ranked by the rate of chlamydia infections, the most prominent STI at the national level, with gonorrhea and then syphilis rates serving as tiebreakers. This story focuses on bacterial infections, which can be cured, rather than viral infections such as HIV and herpes.
At the county level, 2021 cases are the most recent available from the CDC, but state and national-level data for 2022 are also included. This story focuses on sexual transmissions and does not include congenital syphilis cases that were inherited from the mother. Condoms are the most effective way to prevent the spread of STIs for people with multiple sexual partners, but research has found a decreasing rate of condom use among straight, bisexual, and gay male populations.
During the HIV/AIDS epidemic throughout the 1980s and 1990s, public health efforts advocating for condom use helped curb the spread of the virus. Today, however, condoms are no longer the only tool. Pills such as .
