Iowa Gonorrhea Cases Up 145% In Five Years: Health Department

DES MOINES, IA — The Iowa Department of Public Health says cases of gonorrhea are increasing quickly in Iowa — as much as 145 percent over the past five years. Preliminary Iowa data indicate 3,600 cases of gonorrhea in 2017, which was up from 2,600 reported in 2016.

The state has seen increases occurring in both women and men, but the rate of increase is higher among men. Health officials say that likely signals an increase among men who have sex with men. About 80 percent of diagnoses were reported among people 15 to 34 years old.

Additionally, there continue to be disproportionate rates among Iowa’s black/African American populations. Despite making up about 3.5 percent of the Iowa’s population, nearly 30 percent of the gonorrhea diagnoses reported were among the black/African American populations. By comparison, about 60 percent of the diagnoses are among white populations, which make up about 91 percent of Iowa’s population.

"Numerous studies over the years have demonstrated that higher rates of STD's among certain populations indicate that some combination of social forces are at work. Factors like neighborhood location, economic opportunity, income, rates of incarceration and even the number of alcohol outlets in particular neighborhoods have been associated with higher rates of STD's in some populations," said Iowa Department of Public Health STD Program Manager George Walton. "Further analysis is needed to determine which factors are most important in Iowa for each population that is disproportionately affected."

More information about gonorrhea is available on the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

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