LONG BEACH (CNS) - The rate of chlamydia in Long Beach decreased by 8% in 2018, but the city had the second highest rate of gonorrhea in the State of California, according to a report today from the Long Beach Health Department.
The department's annual STD/HIV surveillance report showed the rates for Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis increased in from 2014 to 2018, but Chlamydia rates decreased by 7% in 2018, according to the department.
“The majority of STD diagnoses in Long Beach were concentrated among people aged 15-34 years,” the report stated. “Unfortunately, about 57% of the race/ethnicity data for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis was missing. Among those with available race/ethnicity data, African Americans had the highest rates of infection for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and total early syphilis in 2017.”
Chlamydia was the most commonly reported STD in Long Beach and rates increased by 62% from 2014 to 2018 and ranked third in the state in Chlamydia rates in 2018, with San Francisco having the highest reported rate, the report said.
Gonorrhea rates in the city increased by 154% from 2014 to 2018 and had the second highest rate of the STD in California in 2018, the report stated.
“In 2018, the highest rates of gonorrhea occurred among those aged 20- 29 years,” according to the report. “In the same year, the total rate for males was significantly higher compared to females.”
The report blamed factors such as drug use, poverty, stigma and homelessness as a factors for the increases in STDs.
A total of 96 cases of HIV diagnoses were reported in 2018, a 23% drop from 2014.
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