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Where the risk of contracting an STD is highest throughout the United States

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About one in 100 American adults has an STD, including more than 209,000 cases of syphilis, more than 600,000 cases of gonorrhea and more than 1.6 million cases of chlamydia, according to the CDC.

The chances of contracting a sexually transmitted infection are up to 31 times higher in one state than in others.

Mississippi has the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S., including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer.

It scored a staggering 9.64 out of 10, making it the state most affected by STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer. .

The state also has a low HPV vaccination rate (38.5 percent), which is about 20 points lower than the national average.

Alaska is close behind with an STI score of 8.47 out of 10.

The state has fewer overall STI cases than larger states, but given its relatively small population, the rates per population are particularly concerning, according to Universal Drugstore.

Gonorrhea is widespread, with about 25 cases per 100,000 people, and chlamydia remains the most widespread STI in the state, with 701 cases per 100,000 people.

North Carolina was close behind with a score of 8.37. The state has 65,867 cases of chlamydia, approximately 608 cases per 100,000 residents.

About one in 100 American adults has an STD, including more than 209,000 cases of syphilis, more than 600,000 cases of gonorrhea and more than 1.6 million cases of chlamydia, according to the CDC.

Alabama took fourth place with a score of 8.27. Following Alabama came Arkansas with an 8.17 and has reported a 67 percent increase in HIV cases. Georgia followed with the highest HIV rate in the US in 2022, with 23 cases per 100,000 people, more than double the national average of 11.8 cases per 100,000 people.

Louisiana followed with a score of 7.96, followed by South Carolina with 7.86, Nevada with 7.66 and Florida with 7.6.

Many of the states ranked in the top 10 emphasize abstinence education as a primary method of preventing pregnancy and STIs, which could be a factor behind their higher rates.

And many states don’t require sex education in schools, meaning millions of students miss out on information that could save their lives.

In addition to the states most affected by STIs, universal pharmacy The states that were the least affected were also ranked: New Hampshire, Vermont, Idaho, Maine, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota.

In New Hampshire, which scored 0.31 out of 10, health officials have recorded 588 cases of gonorrhea, about 42 cases per 100,000 people. There are also 139 cases of syphilis, or 9.9 cases per 100,000 people.

The number of chlamydia reports is higher, around 197 per 100,000 inhabitants, i.e. even lower than the national average.

New Hampshire also has one of the highest HPV vaccination rates in the country, at 76.2 percent, just behind Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Vermont came in second with 0.46 out of 10. It has about 202 cases of chlamydia per 100,000 people. The state also has the lowest rates of gonorrhea and syphilis in the entire United States, with 34 and 3.3 cases per 100,000, respectively.

Since 2019, the state has also seen a decline in gonorrhea and syphilis cases. Reports of syphilis decreased from 24 to 21, while cases of gonorrhea decreased almost 24 percent, from 1,718 to 1,307.

Idaho came in third, SCORE, despite having the highest rates of syphilis and chlamydia, at 13 and 294.9 per 100,000 people. However, their gonorrhea rates were lower than those reported in New Hampshire, about 40 per 100,000 people.

After Idaho came Maine with a score of 1.38, followed by Connecticut with 1.68. Next came Iowa at 1.99, followed by Massachusetts at 2.50, Wisconsin at 2.5 and Minnesota at 2.6. North Dakota rounded out the list with 2.81.

Years of rising STI rates have culminated in what experts call a public health crisis, driven by lower condom use and poor sex education.

People, especially young people, use condoms less regularly. They went from being the main contraceptive tool for 75 percent of men in 2011 to 42 percent of men in 2021.

About one in 100 American adults has an STI, including more than 209,000 cases of syphilis, more than 600,000 cases of gonorrhea and more than 1.6 million cases of chlamydia, according to the CDC.

Universal Drugstore compiled statistics from CDC databases on gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia in 2019 and 2023, as well as HIV cases in 2018 and 2022.

The number of cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia per 100,000 residents and the rate of HPV vaccination in adolescents were considered “factors.”

Each factor was assigned a score based on its value, such as number of cases or age at vaccination, and these scores are combined to create the overall STI score for each state.

The report’s authors said: ‘Unfortunately, STIs are more common than we would expect, with statistics indicating that one in five Americans has had an STI.

“While scientific advances over the decades have led to effective treatments for STIs in the form of prescription medications, prevention is always the best option.”

Chlamydia is the most common STI in the US, particularly in the 20-24 age group. There has also been a recent increase in the number of older people contracting chlamydia. As the fear of pregnancy disappears, so does the belief that condoms are still necessary.

The 20 to 24 age group reports the highest number of new cases of gonorrhea, with a total of 142,526. This is followed by the 25 to 29 year old group with 113,774 cases and the 30 to 34 year old group with 96,504 cases.

“Not surprisingly, this sex-related bacterial infection is more common in people of ages known to have a higher sexual desire,” the report’s authors said.

Syphilis among all ages is on the rise nationwide, increasing nearly 80 percent in the past five years, and the increase worries public health officials as the disease can progress and damage the brain, nerves, the eyes and the heart if left untreated.

Syphilis is most frequently reported among people ages 30 to 34, a slightly older group compared to other infections.

Within this age range, men are significantly more affected than women, with rates of 62 cases per 100,000 population compared to 21.5 cases per 100,000 for women.

Symptoms begin with small open sores on the genitals, mouth, or rectum, as well as enlarged lymph nodes.

In the second stage, a skin rash develops, as well as sores on the genitals, fever, muscle and joint pain, vision changes, and loss of appetite.

As the infection progresses, it can inflame and damage heart valves and slowly degrade the brain, causing personality changes, memory loss, difficulty making decisions, and strokes.

Untreated gonorrhea can lead to serious health problems, such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. And although the infection can usually be easily treated, some strains are resistant to commonly used antibiotics, making them more difficult to eliminate.

Common symptoms of chlamydia include abnormal or smelly vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, abdominal tenderness, pain during sexual intercourse, irregular bleeding, and fever.

However, less than half of infections show symptoms and many are asymptomatic.

Increases in STIs have been largely driven by 15- to 24-year-olds. Despite representing only a quarter of the population, this group accounts for approximately half of new STIs each year.

However, there are some positive signs that a decade-long surge could be leveling off and even turning a corner. In 2023 there were 2.4 million sexually transmitted infections, a two percent decrease from 2022.

Gonorrhea cases declined for a second year, declining seven percent from 2022 to below pre-pandemic levels, while chlamydia case rates remained stable.

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