County seat of Chicago ranked first nationally for gonorrhea

New federal data indicates that Cook County, where Chicago is located, reported more cases of gonorrhea in 2009 than any other U.S. county, according to the Chicago Tribune.

It reported 13,330 cases of the sexually transmitted disease (STD) last year, up 7 percent from four years earlier.

Chicago’s minorities are at exceptional risk for gonorrhea, the news source added, with blacks 20 times more likely, and Hispanics twice as likely, to contract a gonorrheal infection compared to whites.

Cook County also ranked second nationally for chlamydia and syphilis infection, behind Los Angeles County.

The numbers, the media outlet says, come from a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which concluded that certain STDs have been decreasing nationally due to screening.

For individuals who have not been tested for STDs or who suspect they have contracted one, online testing services may discreetly assess their sexual health. The CDC recorded over 1.6 million cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia last year.