Montgomery ranks among cities with highest STD rates in the country, new study finds

Hadley Hitson, Montgomery Advertiser
·3 min read
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Montgomery has the seventh-highest rate of sexually transmitted disease in the country, according to a new study from online health and wellness guide Innerbody Research.

The study was conducted based on the latest data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it found that the city has 1,323 STD cases per every 100,000 residents. That number is higher for Montgomery than it is for San Francisco, Calif.; Detroit, Mich.; Little Rock, Ark. and Washington, D.C.

There were 3,252 reported cases of chlamydia, 80 reported cases of syphilis, 64 reported cases of HIV and 1,571 reported cases of gonorrhea.

Besides Montgomery, there is only one other Alabama city in the top 50, and that's Mobile. The city had 1,234 STD cases per every 100,000 residents, 5,795 reported cases of chlamydia, 160 reported cases of syphilis, 91 reported cases of HIV and 1,944 reported cases of gonorrhea.

This is the seventh year that Innerbody has released the annual report, and it has continuously seen rises in STD rates, especially in the South.

Montgomery ranked No. 7 on Innerbody Research's 2024 list of cities with the highest STD rates in the United States.
Montgomery ranked No. 7 on Innerbody Research's 2024 list of cities with the highest STD rates in the United States.

"In past years, we've made the worrisome observation that the South, as defined by the Census Bureau, contributes a disproportionate number of metro areas to the upper portions of our rankings in our annual study," a release from Innerbody read. "Last year, for instance, 14 of the 25 U.S. cities with the highest STD infection rates were in the South. That means a region with roughly 39% of our nation's population contributes over half of the 25 cities with the worst STD infection rates."

This year, 17 of the top 25 cities are in the South. Innerbody called the overrepresentation of the South a "disturbing" fact.

The CDC has suggested that the reason for high rates of STDs in the South may be due to "high rates of poverty and lack of access to quality health care."

Potentially for similar reasons, STD rates are disproportionately high among minority racial and ethnic groups, Innerbody found. CDC data shows that Alaska Native or American Indian people accounted for only 0.7% of live births, yet those newborns accounted for just under 4% of the congenital syphilis cases. Also, non-Hispanic Black people make up about 12% of the U.S. population, but they suffer 31% of the cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis.

"Health leaders stress that differences in sexual behavior aren't the explanation for these differences in rates of infection," the Innerbody report stated. "What can spell the difference between life and death, or illness and health, are timely testing and treatment — but it has to be both."

The Alabama Department of Public Health offers free, confidential STD testing statewide. To find a nearby clinic, Alabamians may contact their county health department. Assistance is also available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays through the National STD Hotline at 1-800-227-8922.

Hadley Hitson covers children's health, education and welfare for the Montgomery Advertiser. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work,subscribe to the Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery ranks No. 7 on list of cities with highest STD rates