Rates of three common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to increase in California.
According to the state Department of Public Health, over a quarter million cases of STDs were reported in 2016. That includes 198,503 cases of chlamydia and 64,677 of gonorrhea. Chlamydia and gonorrhea rates are highest among people under age 30. Rates of chlamydia are highest among young women, whereas males account for the majority of syphilis and gonorrhea cases.
There were 17,458 cases of syphilis reported in adults 2016, but particularly worrisome to health officials were the 207 cases of syphilis among newborns.