3 SC cities have among the highest STD rates in the US, new study shows. See where it’s worst

Patrick McCreless
Bigstock

Three South Carolina cities have problems with sexually transmitted diseases and one of them has the third highest rate in the U.S., a new study shows.

The city of Columbia ranked third on the list of the top 100 U.S. cities with the highest rates of STDs. Meanwhile, Charleston came in at 14th, while Greenville ranked 25th highest.

The cities were ranked through a recent study from research company Innerbody Research, which used the latest data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

The sixth annual study shows that Columbia rose 15 spots in the ranking from the previous year.

The CDC data also indicated that while STD infections increased among many groups, minority racial and ethnic groups continue to be hit the hardest.

“The fact that many of the highest-ranking cities in our study have a higher percentage of minority residents also appears to reflect this trend,” Innerbody Research states.

When comparing infection rates of White people to those of some minority racial and ethnic groups, the CDC data shows that disparities remain. Though non-hispanic Black people comprise approximately 12% of the total population of the U.S., they account for 32% of chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea infections, the data indicates.

South Carolina cities STD breakdowns

Columbia

  • STD cases/100K population: 1,350

  • HIV cases: 48

  • Chlamydia cases: 8,068

  • Gonorrhea cases: 3,700

  • Syphilis cases: 275

Charleston

  • STD cases/100K population: 1,011

  • HIV cases: 138

  • Chlamydia cases: 6,022

  • Gonorrhea cases: 2,731

  • Syphilis cases: 317

Greenville

  • STD cases/100K population: 914

  • HIV cases: 92

  • Chlamydia cases: 7,122

  • Gonorrhea cases: 3,782

  • Syphilis cases: 410

Other study findings

  • The states that are among the lowest in healthcare spending per capita — South Carolina, Mississippi and Tennessee — account for the three highest STD rates.

  • The South continues to be disproportionately represented among the hardest-hit cities. Of the top 25, 14 are Southern cities.

  • Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis top the list of most commonly reported new STD infections. While reported cases of chlamydia dropped by just over a percent since 2016, cases of gonorrhea and syphilis rose by 45% and 52%, respectively.

  • Memphis, TN was the city that ranked highest for STD rates. Monmouth, NJ, ranked lowest at 100th place in the study.

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