Gonorrhea Rate Growing In Alaska!

Alaska doesn't just have abundant wildlife, beautiful scenery, and glowing glaciers, it also has a lot of…gonorrhea?

Uh-oh.

Out of all the states in this great country of America to have an STD outbreak, we never thought Alaska would be breaking in the top ten.

A new report shows that Alaska ranks ninth in the nation for its rate of gonorrhea, compared with its ranking in recent years in the mid-20s and is second in the nation for its high rate of chlamydia, another sexually transmitted disease that is often transmitted along with gonorrhea.

According to a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, the number of gonorrhea cases in Alaska rose an alarming 69% between 2008 and 2009 and has no signs of stopping.

Susan Jones, the state's HIV/STD program manager, said:

"Hopefully, the high numbers now are more of a success story in that people are coming in and getting tested. Though I am surprised the numbers haven't declined. It's this continuing rise in numbers that we haven't been able to get under control."

Alaska's rate is about 144 reported cases per 100,000 people, compared with a national average of 99 cases per 100,000, which rose from 2008's 85 cases per 100,000 people.

Yikes!

State officials and are urging people to get tested because the symptoms may appear to be mild at first, but can still infect others!

Take control of your body and get tested! And not just Alaskans, EVERYBODY!

Remember, this ain't the chicken pox. Even when someone has been treated, they can become reinfected if they again have sex with someone carrying the bacteria.

Like Susan Jones says, "What goes around, comes back around!"

Tags: disease, outbreak, prevention, sex