Courtesy Photo This photo depicts what bacterial colonies of gonorrhea look like when grown in a lab.

ALPENA — Sexually transmitted diseases are alive and well in Northeast Michigan, much to the displeasure of local health professionals.

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are the three most common sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S., and statistics reported by District Health Department No. 4 show that trend to be similar locally.

Health department figures also show a 36% increase in the number of gonorrhea cases from 2017 to 2018 and a slight increase in cases of syphilis was also reported during that same timeframe.

Departing from national trends, the number of chlamydia cases decreased 20% from 2017 to 2018, when 119 cases of chlamydia were reported. But the Health Department did see cases of chlamydia increase from 105 cases in 2015 to 149 cases in 2017, when the number of chlamydia cases peaked.

Josh Meyerson, medical director for DHD No. 4, said that, while health officials may not see “a clear upward trend” from year to year, the trend seems to be that rates of sexually transmitted infections are increasing slightly in the region.

He said chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most common infections in Alpena, Montmorency, Presque Isle, and Cheboygan counties, the region covered by his department.

“I think it’s important for the public to know sexually transmitted infections are rather common, especially in individuals under 26 years of age,” he said, adding that testing is available at the Health Department either at no or low cost to the public.

‘NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL’

The most common symptom of STD infections “is actually no symptoms at all,” said Amy Peterson, STD interventions unit manager for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

“So it’s important that individuals who are sexually active are screened routinely by their physician and by their health care providers,” she said.

Peterson said screening is the most effective tool available to reduce the spread of STDs, because health care providers want to diagnose and treat quickly to stop the next infection from occurring.

State health officials say young, heterosexual couples are more likely than others to contract chlamydia and gonorrhea, while syphilis is more likely to be contracted by men who have sex with men.

Approximately 68% of chlamydia cases and 51% of gonorrhea cases in the state were diagnosed among patients who are younger than 25, according to DHHS data. Peterson said that’s when bodies are most susceptible to the infection.

“It’s also a time when folks are more likely to have a change in sexual partners,” she said. “They may not be in long-term committed relationships, and so those are some of the factors that lead us to have that ongoing focus of particularly chlamydia and then, secondarily, gonorrhea, in that younger population.”

So far this year, DHD No. 4 reported 85 cases of chlamydia as of Oct. 4, with 47 of those cases occurring in Alpena County, 24 in Cheboygan County, three in Montmorency County, and 11 in Presque Isle County. Seven cases of gonorrhea have been reported as of Oct. 4.

Figures from the state health department also show that 89% of the primary and secondary syphilis cases reported in 2018 were men who were having sex with other men. Black men have the highest rates of primary and secondary syphilis cases of any racial group, who have an 8.9 times higher diagnosis rate compared to white men.

One primary syphilis case and two secondary syphilis cases were reported to DHD No. 4 in 2018. No early latent or late latent cases of syphilis were reported by DHD No. 4 in 2018. There has been one case of secondary syphilis and one case of late latent syphilis reported by DHD No. 4 as of Oct. 4.

TRAVEL IN TEAMS

John Lieberman, a gynecologist with MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland, said sexually transmitted infections “often travel in teams.” When a patient tests positive, best practice is to look for all sexually transmitted diseases, he said.

“For just about any type of sexually transmitted infection, there is a slightly higher risk of developing additional sexually transmitted infections,” Lieberman said, adding that irritation, inflammation, or even an open sore could create “a portal of access” for a virus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says antibiotics can be used to cure chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.

Left untreated, Peterson said, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause fertility issues, such as blockages in reproductive organs. She said that, although those infections can be cured once they’re diagnosed, the damage done to those organs cannot be reversed.

She also said stillbirths are possible in cases of congenital syphilis.

“While the death of any child or person of course is a tragedy, the inability to have a child when you want to can also be a tragedy for people,” she said.

While abstinence remains the best way to avoid such diseases, Lieberman says it is “unrealistic” for most people. He recommends using condoms, which will prevent most sexually transmitted infections, but not all.

Peterson said that, if someone is sexually active but not using condoms consistently, they should be screened routinely, as that could be the only way they find out they have an infection.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.