The number of cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia in Evanston more than doubled in the past year, according to Evanston Health Department statistics. But the drastic increase is most likely due to improved methods of reporting, said Karen A. Seals, health department division chief.
The health department recorded 68 positive tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia – the most frequently seen sexually transmitted diseases in Evanston – from January through March of this year, Seals said. Twenty-five cases were reported in 2000 during the same three-month period.
“I think it’s a significant increase,” Seals said, adding that the rise can be attributed in part to the state’s improved methods for reporting positive STD cases. Medical labs now are required to report all testing.
An increase in sexual activity among teenagers also explains the rise in STD cases, Seals added.
“Kids are more sexually active at younger ages,” she said. “That’s not just in Evanston; that’s national.”
The highest rate of gonorrhea and chlamydia cases in Evanston occurred for people ages 15 to 19, health department statistics show. The 20- to 24-year-old age group ranked second and 25- to 29-year-olds ranked third, while 30-year-olds and older incurred the least number of positive tests.
While Evanston’s statistics show a dramatic upswing from last year’s numbers, the general increase follows state and national trends for gonorrhea and chlamydia cases. Tom Schafer, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said a significant drop in STD cases occurred in the state after 1990 but increased after 1997 for several reasons:
_Ѣ Amplified DNA technology makes the lab equipment now used in STD testing 95 percent sensitive. Old technology was 75 percent sensitive.
_Ѣ Screening criteria has improved, “ensuring those at greater risk are tested.”
_Ѣ Individuals continue to engage in risky behavior and practice unsafe sex.
Chlamydia is the most commonly reported infectious disease in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. About 3 million people in the United States contract chlamydia each year, and 40 percent of chlamydia cases are reported among 15- to 19-year-olds.
Gonorrhea is second only to chlamydia in the number of cases reported to CDC. About 650,000 cases of gonorrhea occur each year nationwide. The incidence of infection is highest among individuals under 24 years old who live in urban areas, have multiple sex partners and engage in unprotected sex.
Both chlamydia and gonorrhea are curable with treatment, Seals said.
“There is medicine that will cure it, but unfortunately a lot of people don’t know the symptoms,” she said.
The Evanston Health Department, 2100 Ridge Ave., runs a drop-in STD clinic Tuesday and Friday nights for people who want to be tested. Evanston Hospital and St. Francis Hospital also conduct STD testing.
