STDs on the rise in Anchorage, Mat-Su

MAT-SU -- Alaska's chlamydia rate jumped 40 percent from 2001 to 2002, keeping it the highest rate in the nation for a second year in a row. Alaska residents diagnosed with chlamydia last year numbered 3,805, more than half of the cases in the Anchorage/Matanuska-Susitna area.

"It's sad but true," said state of Alaska Epidemiology Department Dr. Alison Bell when asked about the high numbers. "But you also have to take into account that we do a lot more testing and screening in this state [than other states]."

Bell said although the state is faced with what she calls a "detection bias" when compared with other states, there is still a large percent of Alaska's population that is infected with chlamydia each year and not tested. According to the Centers for Disease Control, by age 30 an estimated 50 percent of sexually active women have some evidence of having chlamydia sometime in their lives. Although the number of Alaska women who tested positive for chlamydia increased 31 percent to 2,576 cases in 2002, these women make up less than one half a percent of Alaska's total estimated population that year.

The amount of males infected with chlamydia also increased, by 63 percent, which in a way is a good sign -- more males are probably getting tested for the virus. Ages 15 to 25 have the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea, another sexually transmitted disease that has also increase in numbers the last three years. Both diseases rank highest among Alaska Native females and black males. Thirty-six percent of patients infected with gonorrhea were also infected with chlamydia.

Bell said part of the reason chlamydia infects so many people is that it is very hard to detect.

"[Chlamydia] is a silent infection," Bell said. "Some say up to 70 percent of people with the disease aren't even aware that they have it."

Alaska's strict screening policies include contacting sexual partners of those patients that are tested positive for chlamydia and/or gonorrhea.

There are three ways to test for chlamydia: Swabbing of the cervix, swabbing of the male urethra and a urine sample. Bell said most patients opt for the third option.

Most medical providers will test for these and other STDs. Planned Parenthood and the Public Health Nurse will also conduct testing. It is recommended that all sexually active individuals, especially ages 15 to 25, be tested.