STD rates on the rise in Berrien County and nationwide

BENTON HARBOR, Mich – The Berrien County Health Department and national organizations are trying to stop the rise in STD cases.

The increase in sexually transmitted diseases is starting a debate about why the numbers are on the rise and how to combat them.

“We know that STD rates have been on the rise nationally as well as here in the Michiana area,” Berrien County Health Department Communications Director Gillian Conrad said.

Certain STDs in particular have been on the rise in the Michiana area.

“Here in Berrien County we’ve seen about a 250-percent increase in gonorrhea rates from 2014-2017,” Conrad said.

The breakdown is as follows, among the fifty states Michigan ranks 25^th nationwide for syphilis, and 24^th nationwide for both chlamydia, and gonorrhea.

Nationwide there are 1.7 million cases of chlamydia, over 500,000 cases of gonorrhea, and over 50,000 cases of syphilis since 2013.

The driving factor behind the numbers are the 15-24 demographic that which is the group where the numbers have increased the most.