North Texas city reports increase in gonorrhea, chlamydia infections

As is the case in El Paso, Midland-Odessa and other urban centers around Texas, Lubbock has reported an increase in several strains of sexually transmitted disease (STD).

The city recorded 20 percent more cases of gonorrhea in 2010 than in the previous year, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Likewise, a moderate increase in the number of chlamydia infections occurred during that time period. A county health official told the newspaper that potentially many more cases of the disease went unreported, likely because many individuals with chlamydia are unaware of their infection.

The news source reported that the rates of other diseases like HIV and syphilis dipped in 2010, suggesting that public health education and sexual screening had an impact on the spread of these infections.

Few cases of any STD were detected in individuals under the age of 20, the newspaper added.

Among people of any age, those who worry that they have contracted an STD may consider investing in online testing services as soon as possible.

A sexual infection is contracted in the U.S. every one and a half seconds, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.