Leon County has highest chlamydia rate in Florida

Leon County earned a dubious public health distinction, becoming No. 1 in Florida for new chlamydia infections.

The news came via the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin, which released their annual health rankings Tuesday for nearly every county in the United States, including all 67 in Florida. 

Leon had the highest rate of newly diagnosed cases of chlamydia, with 1,153.4 cases for every 100,000 residents.

Alachua County, which also has a high concentration of college students, was second, with 860.5 cases for every 100,000 residents. 

The Florida Department of Health in Leon County, which offers testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, acknowledged the high rates in a news release.

“DOH-Leon remains committed to bringing down these rates, especially among young adults ages 15 to 24,” the department said. “The department tracks sexually transmitted infection trends within specific communities and collaborates with STI prevention partners to educate, screen and treat high-risk individuals.”

Christopher Tittle, a spokesman for DOH-Leon, said health experts will sift through the numbers to find out why Leon led the state in chlamydia.

The new rankings for the sexually transmitted disease were based on data from 2016.

“When we see figures that are concerning about public health issues like STDs, we take time to wrap our heads around the figures,” he said.

“We look at the populations where the issue may be more prevalent or more noticeable. We look at public health messaging and how that might be shaped. And we look for community partners who might be seeing the same things we’re seeing … to combat whatever the situation might be.”

Addressing the problem

Meanwhile, DOH-Leon announced a new effort to address a spike in local syphilis cases, which more than doubled from 76 in 2017 to 178 last year. A Leon County Syphilis Prevention Coalition is set to launch April 2 to address the problem.

The Health Department offers confidential services and testing for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV at its Roberts & Stevens Clinic, 1515 Old Bainbridge Road. The Richardson-Lewis Health Center, 872 W. Orange Ave., houses the department’s HIV Prevention Division and also offers HIV testing.

“I think a big message we always want to pitch is getting tested so you know what your status is, so you know how much of a risk you may pose to the community,” Tittle said. “But also, if you’re positive, you want to get into treatment.”

How to get tested

For STD services and HIV testing at the Roberts & Stevens Clinic, call 850-404-6403. For HIV testing at the Richardson-Lewis Health Center, call 850-404-6240.

Syphilis Prevention Coalition launch

The Leon County Syphilis Prevention Coalition will have a launch meeting 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, at the Richardson-Lewis conference room, 872 W. Orange Ave.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.