Report: St. Louis STD rate drops

KSDK -- A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found an increase in testing and education helped reduce the City of St. Louis' rate for sexually transmitted diseases.

St. Louis dropped from the number one to the number two rankings for both Chlamydia and Gonorrhea based on rate; and stayed at number 16 for Syphilis, according to Pamela Walker, the interim director of health for the department. However, St. Louis is one of just two cities on the national report that are not included in a larger county. Therefore, St. Louis only represents the metropolitan area's urban core, and does not represent an accurate picture of the burden of the disease on the area.

In 2008, 94 fewer persons had Chlamydia and 387 fewer persons had Gonorrhea in the City of St. Louis than in 2007. This represents a 2.1% decrease in Chlamydia and a 26.7% decrease in Gonorrhea. Over half the Chlamydia and Gonorrhea cases are among the City's youth.

In 2008, the City of St. Louis, in partnership with multiple community providers, worked to increase testing and education with a focus on education for young people and those most at risk for the disease. City Department of Health also worked to ensure that medical providers were aware of the changes in medications and treatment for Gonorrhea and vaccine for Chlamydia.

The Health Department is reminding St. Louis residents that the only way to have no risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease or infection is to abstain from sexual activity.

For additional information about STDs and how to protect yourself, contact the City of St. Louis Health Department at 314-612-5188.