County sees increase in STDs in 2018 | Local | Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

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Allen County again saw increases in gonorrhea and chlamydia cases in 2018, according to statistics from the Fort Wayne-Allen County Health Department.

Combined, the county recorded 3,545 cases of the sexually transmitted diseases last year – about 300 more than in 2017. It's the third straight year the number has increased.

“We continue to see the sustained increase in gonorrhea and chlamydia,” said Kathy Thorson, the health department's director of HIV and STD prevention.

The problem mirrors a national trend.

There were almost 2.3 million cases of the diseases in the U.S. in 2017 – a record – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STD in the country, according to the CDC.

Nearly 2,500 chlamydia cases were recorded locally in 2018, compared with 2,264 the year before. In 2016, 2,215 cases were reported.

There were 1,049 cases of gonorrhea last year, an increase of about 100 from 2017.

The statistics were presented Monday at a meeting of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Board of Health, where members also learned new HIV cases rose by five last year to 29.

Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Deborah McMahan is unhappy with the situation.

“Our STD numbers are so sad,” she said.

Officials did not pin down a cause for the increase in infections but did discuss drug use, which can lead to potentially dangerous behaviors, including unprotected sex.

Thorson said the department also has worked to educate those at risk for the diseases so they can identify symptoms and seek medical help.

McMahan criticized the state for not providing enough funding for public health and said more money would allow the department to do more to educate at-risk populations and treat patients.

Indiana ranks 49th among states for public health spending, according to a 2017 report from the United Health Foundation. McMahan said public health spending accounts for about $11 per person in Allen County. 

West Virginia and Alaska top the United Health Foundation list for public health expenditures, spending $113 per resident.

The number of syphilis cases in Allen County fell in 2018 to 20, statistics show. In 2017, there were 24 cases reported.

mleblanc@jg.net



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