LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada had the highest rate of reported cases of primary and secondary syphilis in the country in 2018, according to a newly-released report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
READ: CDC's 2018 STD Surveillance Report: State Ranking Tables
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that can cause serious health problems if it is not treated, the CDC says. It is divided into stages: primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary.
Primary and secondary syphilis cases are the most infectious stages.
Nevada also ranked #2 for rate of reported congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis is a disease that occurs when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy.
The CDC also reports STDs are on the rise in the United States, and cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia reached an all-time high nationally last year.
The report shows that from 2017 to 2018:
- There were more than 115,000 syphilis cases nationally.
- Gonorrhea increased 5% to more than 580,000 cases in the U.S. – also the highest number reported since 1991.
- Chlamydia increased 3% to more than 1.7 million cases in the U.S. – the most ever reported to CDC.
