New York State ranked among top 5 states with the most STDs
NEW YORK (WSYR-TV) -- In honor of April being Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Month, a new report has revealed that New York State ranks 4th for the most STD cases in the U.S. During this month, STI awareness is preached, as every year there are 20 million new STI cases in the U.S. that result in $16 billion worth of medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study from backgroundchecks.org, reveals New York state has some of the highest cases of STDs with 1,639 cases per 100,000 people, and a total of 270607 STD cases. In their study, they analyzed data for sexually transmitted diseases within all 50 states for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, which is the most recent data available from the CDC. STD cases within the analysis include HIV prevalence, HIV diagnoses, primary & secondary (P&S) syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea.
In New York, the highest STD case is HIV Prevalence, with 125,383 cases, followed by chlamydia with 97,722 cases. This high number is due to several New Yorkers who might be casually dating and having multiple sexual partners, which they likely find on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge.
When looking at the search volume in each state for dating apps, another study from WhistleOut found that almost half of New Yorkers are searching for Tinder, with 46% and 29% searching for Hinge. In their study, they used Google Trends data in each state to determine which dating apps were the most popular by search volume throughout 2022.
However, out of all the 50 states, New York ranks amongst the lowest in average yearly increases in STDs since 2015, ranking 48th state with a 1.14% increase, meaning even though the number is high, New Yorkers are taking responsibility and getting tested for STDs and STIs.
There's no risk-free state when it comes to STDs, but the CDC recommends several steps that adults can take to prevent them including testing, which should be done once a year for syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Also, all adults and adolescents from ages 13 to 64 should be tested at least once for HIV.