California Loses Ground On STIs, Tobacco
After years of making progress regarding sexually transmitted infections and tobacco consumption, state data suggests that Californians are now losing ground.
According to reports released in recent days by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), signs of slippage are clear in both categories
The CDPH’s annual report on STIs showed double-digit year-over-year increases in all categories. Altogether, there were more than 249,000 cases of STIs reported in California last year, up 11.6% from 2014.
“Cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are going up in California at a concerning rate,” said CDPH Director Karen Smith, M.D. She noted that increases were reported for the second consecutive year.
And while data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have suggested that the rate of STIs are increasing in most parts of the country, the pace in California is greater than the nationwide trend.
The number of cases of early syphilis -- diagnosed in the early stages of the disease before significant damage has occurred -- grew by 29% last year, approaching nearly 9,400 cases. Nearly two-thirds involved men having sex with men. The number of advanced cases of the disease rose by 39%, to 142 cases.
Cases of chlamydia, the most common STI, grew by 9% last year, to just under 190,000 in
total. Among women, where the disease tends to be detected more often as a result of routine screening associated with reproductive health services, the rate grew among females at 6%. But it grew even more among men, with a 12% increase. Cases among adolescent females, which had been in decline in recent years, grew by 4%.
Cases of gonorrhea grew by 20% last year, including a 22% increase among men and a 15% increase among women.
Racial disparities among who contracted the STIs remained dramatically high. Among adolescents, African-American females were five times more likely to be diagnosed with chlamydia than whites. The rates of gonorrhea among African-Americans is five times likely than whites, with the case rate among black men rising 64% since 2011.
CDPH officials blame the steady uptick on a variety of factors, including a decline in condom use, more sexual activity among more partners, but also fewer barriers to testing and improved public health reporting.
As a result, the CDPH is distributing $5 million to local health departments for expansion of testing, treatment and prevention programs.
There was also an increase in tobacco usage, particularly among younger Californians. An annual report from the CDPH on the trend noted that tobacco sales to underage residents increased by a third in 2015 compared to 2014. Altogether, 10.3% of retailers screened by regulators in California were found to have sold tobacco to youngsters last year, up from 7.6% in 2014. However, that is still far lower than the nearly 22% rate reported in the late 1990s.
“Preventing the illegal sale of tobacco to minors is extremely important,” Smith said. “Delaying the age when young people begin using tobacco reduces the possibility of them becoming long-term users, which can protect them from a lifetime of tobacco-related illnesses.”
