Charlotte has one of the highest sexually transmitted disease rates in the nation. According to a new study. Charlotte ranked thirteenth on the list of the top 100 U.S. cities with the highest rates of STDs, with 1,012 cases per 100,000 people in the city over the last year.
The cities were ranked in a recent study by Innerbody Research, which used the latest data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s a breakdown of new STD cases in Charlotte over the last year, according to the study: HIV: 246 Gonorrhea: 6,778 Chlamydia: 15,784 Syphilis: 771. Other North Carolina cities included on the list were Greensboro at 12 along with Raleigh and Wilmington, which came in at 52 and 75, respectively.
Other findings in the study
CDC data used in the study show that STD infection rates remain higher in minority racial and ethnic groups. “The fact that many of the highest-ranking cities in our study have a higher percentage of minority residents also appears to reflect this trend,” the study says. “Though non-Hispanic Black people comprise approximately 12 percent of the total population of the country, they account for a disproportionate 32 percent of chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea infections.”
Lack of access to healthcare and STD testing are to blame for these disparities, according to Jo Valentine, the director of the office of health equity at the CDC. According to Valentine, issues like poverty, unstable housing, drug use, lack of medical insurance or regular medical provider need to be addressed for better health outcomes among minority communities. Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were the most commonly reported new STD infections. Of the top 25 cities with the highest infection rates, 14 are in the South. Three of the top 25 cities – Miami, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale – are located in Florida. California contributed 13 cities to the ranking this year, the most from any state.
This article appears courtesy of our media partner The Charlotte Observer.