Gonorrhea Cases Rise Sharply in Alaska

March 11, 2010 — Alaska health officials have reported that the state's gonorrhea rates increased by 69% in 2009 after remaining steady for years, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Susan Jones of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said the increase is the biggest one-year jump since the 1970s.

Gonorrhea is sexually transmitted and can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and miscarriages in women; eye problems in newborns; and infections in men. It is frequently accompanied by chlamydia and can be treated with antibiotics (Shinohara, Anchorage Daily News, 3/10). Many people who are infected with gonorrhea have no symptoms or symptoms that do not appear for about 30 days. In women, the initial symptoms can include painful urination, increased vaginal discharge or vaginal bleeding between periods. In men, symptoms include a burning sensation during urination, discharge from the penis or painful, swollen testicles.

Details of Report

There were 997 cases of gonorrhea reported in 2009, an increase from 578 in 2008 (Joling, AP/Connecticut News-Times, 3/10). The rate of gonorrhea infections was 144 cases per 100,000 residents, up from 85 cases per 100,000 residents in 2008. According to Jones, gonorrhea rates increased in every area of the state except for Interior Alaska (Anchorage Daily News, 3/10). Men and women ages 20 through 24 had the highest infection rates. Women accounted for slightly more than half of the cases (AP/Connecticut News-Times, 3/10).

Jones said Alaska's gonorrhea rate has been in the middle range of all states in recent years. The 2009 rates could place Alaska among the top 10 states with the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections, according to Jones.

Reasons for Increase Unclear

State officials said there is no known explanation for the sharp increase. Jones said the rise is not the result of increased testing because the number of tests has been consistent. She also said some health providers have noted that the type of gonorrhea that is most prevalent throughout the state has milder symptoms than in past outbreaks (Anchorage Daily News, 3/10). "In some cases, the symptoms are mild enough, or not annoying enough, that people are not coming in to seek care, or delaying coming in," Jones said, adding, "So that means they have gonorrhea for a long period of time and are able to transmit it more"(AP/Connecticut News-Times, 3/10).