A new report released in July by Invigor Medical reveals a concerning public health trend in Georgia, placing the state fourth nationwide for sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates. The analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention shows Georgia recorded 112,143 new STD cases in 2023, averaging approximately 1,020 per 100,000 residents. Notably, Georgia also holds the top spot nationally for new HIV diagnoses.

Georgia now stands among just four states where STD rates exceed 1,000 cases per 100,000 residents, following Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alaska. The report highlights that other Southern states, including Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arkansas, also ranked in the top ten due to persistent challenges such as gaps in healthcare access, limited sexual health education, and structural barriers to screening and treatment.

Digging deeper into Georgia’s numbers for 2023:

New HIV Cases: Georgia led the nation with 2,359 new cases.
Gonorrhea: The state ranked third nationally with 30,307 new cases.
Chlamydia: Georgia was fifth in the country with 71,294 new cases.
Syphilis: The state recorded 8,183 new cases, placing it 12th nationally.

Locally, Richmond County experienced the highest rate of STD cases per 100,000 residents at 1,884, while Fulton County, though slightly lower in rate at 1,805, saw the highest volume of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV cases across Georgia.

National Trends Reflect Growing Crisis

The report underscores a significant nationwide climb in reported STD rates over the past decade. In 2023, approximately 2.5 million new STD cases were reported across the U.S., a sharp increase from 1.8 million in 2013.

Disparities in these rates are also stark. Black Americans were disproportionately impacted, experiencing a seven times higher rate of STDs compared to their white counterparts – 2,250 cases per 100,000 versus 319, respectively. The report attributes this disparity to systemic factors, including unequal access to testing and treatment, stigma, and pervasive barriers to sexual health education and care.

Gender also plays a role, with American women approximately 10 percent more likely than men to be diagnosed with an STD in 2023. This is largely influenced by the higher likelihood of STD screenings during routine reproductive health visits and women’s greater biological susceptibility to infection. Among young people aged 13 to 24, the disparity is even more pronounced, with rates for young women nearly double those for young men.

Regional Differences Within Georgia

While Georgia’s overall STD rates are alarmingly high, data from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) indicates significant regional variations. Highly populated urban areas, particularly metro Atlanta counties like Fulton and DeKalb, along with other urban centers such as Richmond and Muscogee counties, consistently report the highest per capita rates, driving the elevated statewide averages.

In contrast, counties comprising Northwest Georgia, typically characterized by lower population density and more rural characteristics, generally report lower rates for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, often falling below the state average.

The findings from Invigor Medical’s report highlight an urgent need for enhanced public health initiatives, improved healthcare access, and comprehensive sexual health education across Georgia, particularly in vulnerable communities and high-prevalence urban areas.