SANTA CRUZ COUNTY STD STATISTICS

CHLAMYDIA

Chlamydia climbs 12% from 2017 to 2018 among Santa Cruz County residents. Chlamydia affects women under age 25 the most.

GONORRHEA

Cases of gonorrhea decreased 4% from 2017 to 2018 among Santa Cruz County residents. This is the first decrease in cases since 2010. Gonorrhea cases occur twice as often among men compared to women in Santa Cruz County.

EARLY SYPHILIS

Cases of early syphilis have decreased 16% from 2017 to 2018 among Santa Cruz County residents. This is the first decrease in cases since 2007 when there were only 3 cases the entire year. Syphilis affects gay men, bisexual men, and men who have sex with men the most. This county has also seen an increasing number of cases in women over the years.

WHY ARE WE SEEING THIS INCREASE?

Our county only shows data for these three STIs because they are reportable. This means public health workers track when people get these infections to spot outbreaks and learn more about the health of our community. But, other non-reportable, common infections such as herpes and HPV are still possible. Make sure to get educated on our info page, continue to use barrier methods like condoms or dental dams during sexual activity, get tested regularly, and contact your doctor for treatment if you see any symptoms of what might be an STI.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STIs)?

While our county's data outlines the problem for these three reportable STIs, other non-reportable infections such as herpes and HPV remain possible.

  • Make sure to get educated on our Info page
  • Continue to use barrier methods like condoms during sexual activity
  • Get tested regularly
  • Contact your doctor for treatment if you see any symptoms of what might be an STI

GREATER RISK FOR YOUTH

Estimated New STIs (Ages 15-24 and Ages 25+)
Incidence: This is a bar chart showing the estimated number of new sexually transmitted infections in the United States in 2008. There were a total of 19,738,800 new infections: 19,000 hepatitis B infections; 41,400 HIV infections; 55,400 syphilis infections; 776,000 HSV-2 infections; 820,000 gonorrhea infections; 1,090,000 trichomoniasis infections; 2,860,000 chlamydia infections; and 14,100,000 HPV infections. Young people (aged 15 to 24) accounted for half of all new sexually transmitted infections: 8% of hepatitis B infections, 20% of syphilis infections; 45% of HSV-2 infections; 70% of gonorrhea infections; 13% of trichomoniasis infections; 63% of chlamydia infections; and 49% of HPV infections.
 

Young people account for a substantial proportion of new STIs

 

Unique Factors Place Youth at Risk for STIs