LOUISIANA: Louisiana Worst Gonorrhea Rate; Top 10 in Two Other STDs

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

LOUISIANA: Louisiana Worst Gonorrhea Rate; Top 10 in Two Other STDs

Associated Press (12.30.03) - Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Janet McConnaughey

Louisiana had the highest gonorrhea rate in the nation for the second year in a row in 2002, according to CDC. Louisiana has been among the five worst states for both gonorrhea and chlamydia for the past five years. The state ranked seventh- worst in 2002 for syphilis.

"We definitely need to get the word out that the safest sex is no sex, and if you're going to have sex, use protection," said Dr. Jimmy Guidry, the state health officer.

In 2002, chlamydia - the nation's most common STD - affected 834,555 Americans, or 296.5 out of every 100,000, compared to 412.7 of every 100,000 in Louisiana. One reason for chlamydia's prevalence is that the infection often shows no symptoms or only mild ones.

Louisiana had 12,253 cases of gonorrhea in 2001 and 11,387 in 2002: 274.2 cases and 254.8 cases per 100,000 respectively. Mississippi, which led the nation in gonorrhea rates in 2000, was second in 2001 and 2002, with rates of 272.8 and 241.7 per 100,000.

In Louisiana, the syphilis rate was the only STD rate that has lowered substantially since 1998. That year, the state had the nation's third-highest rate at 37.8 cases per 100,000. Louisiana's falling syphilis rates may be attributable to three factors, said Guidry. Syphilis more commonly shows symptoms that would prompt a person to be tested. The Department of Health and Hospitals has aggressively tracked sex partners of syphilis patients. Finally, the lower volume of patients - 775 in 2002 - makes it possible to locate all contacts.
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