Your odds of getting a sexually transmitted infection are up to 31 times higher in one state than others.
Mississippi has the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the US, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer.
It had a staggering score of 9.64 out of 10, making it the most heavily impacted state 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 follows closely 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 state’s most widespread STI, 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 – roughly 608 cases per 100,000 people.
About one in 100 US adults has an STD, including over 209,000 cases of syphilis, over 600,000 cases of gonorrhea, and over 1.6million cases of chlamydia , according to the CDC
Alabama ranked fourth with a score of 8.27. After 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 came next 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 ranking in the top 10 emphasize abstinence education as a primary method to prevent pregnancy and STIs, which could be a driver behind their higher rates.
And many states do not mandate sex education in schools, meaning millions of students miss out on potentially life-saving information.
In addition to states most affected by STIs, Universal Drugstore also ranked states those were were the least impacted: 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 at around 197 for every 100,000 residents, it’s lower still than the national average.
New Hampshire also has one of the country’s highest HPV vaccination rates at 76.2 percent, just behind Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Vermont came in at second place 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 out of the entire US, at 34 and 3.3 cases per 100,000 respectively.
Since 2019, the state has also seen a decline in gonorrhea and syphilis cases. Syphilis reports dropped from 24 to 21, while gonorrhea cases decreased by nearly 24 percent, falling from 1,718 to 1,307.
Idaho came in third, SCORE despite having the highest rates of syphilis and chlamydia, with 13 and 294.9 per 100,000 people. Its rates of gonorrhea, though were lower than the rate reported in New Hampshire, at around 40 for every 100,000 people.
After Idaho came Maine scoring 1.38 followed by Connecticut with a 1.68. Then came Iowa with a 1.99 followed by Massachusetts with 2.50, Wisconsin with 2.5, and Minnesota with a 2.6. North Dakota rounded out the list with 2.81.
Years of rising rates of STIs has culminated in what experts call a public health crisis, driven by decreased condom usage and poor sex education.
People, particularly young people, are using condoms less regularly. They went from the top contraceptive tool for 75 percent of men in 2011 to 42 percent of men by 2021.
About one in 100 US adults has an STI, including over 209,000 cases of syphilis, over 600,000 cases of gonorrhea, and over 1.6million cases of chlamydia, according to the CDC.
Universal Drugstore gleaned statistics from CDC databases for gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia in both 2019 and 2023 as well as HIV cases in 2018 and 2022.
The number of gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia cases per 100,000 residents and the rate of HPV vaccinations for adolescents were both 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 authors of the report said: ‘Unfortunately, STIs are more common than we would hope, with statistics indicating that one in five Americans have had an STI.
‘While advancements in science over the decades have resulted in effective STI treatments in the form of prescription drugs, prevention is always the best option.’
Chlamydia is the most common STI in the US, particularly in the 20 to 24 age group. There has also been a recent uptick in the number of seniors citizens 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 gonorrhea cases, totaling 142,526. This is followed by the 25–29 age group with 113,774 cases and the 30–34 age group with 96,504 cases.
‘It is unsurprising that this sex-related bacterial infection is most prevalent across ages known for having a higher sex drive,’ the authors of the report said.
Syphilis among all ages is on the rise nationwide, increasing nearly 80 percent over the past five years, and the surge is worrying public health officials, as the disease can advance to damage the brain, nerves, eyes, and heart if it goes untreated.
Syphilis is most commonly reported among 30 to 34-year-olds, 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 residents 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 genitals sores, fever, muscle and joint pain, vision changes, and loss of appetite.
When the infection advances further, 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 issues, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. And while the infection can usually be easily treated, some strains are resistant to commonly used antibiotics – making them harder to clear.
Common symptoms of chlamydia include abnormal or foul-smelling vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, abdominal tenderness, pain during intercourse, irregular bleeding, and fever.
However, less than half of infections show symptoms, and many are asymptomatic.
STI increases have been largely driven by young people 15 to 24 years old. Despite making up only a quarter of the population, this group accounts for approximately half of new STIs every year.
However, there are some positive signs that a decade-long rise could be plateauing and even turning a corner. There were 2.4million sexually transmitted infections in 2023, a two percent decline from 2022.
Gonorrhea cases fell for a second year, declining seven percent from 2022 to below pre-pandemic levels while chlamydia case rates remained stable.
