ATLANTA — New numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show STD rates are at an all time high, setting a record for the sixth year in a row.
Many people online claim Georgia has the highest numbers in the country.
But, is it true?
Our 11Alive VERIFY team looks at the numbers to find out.
THE QUESTION
Is Georgia the worst state in the country for sexually transmitted diseases or infections?
THE ANSWER
No, Georgia doesn't have the highest STD rates in the country, but we are in the top 10 in comparison with most.
WHAT WE KNOW
A 2016 CDC report found Georgia ranked in the top five states with the highest cases of chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea.
But where do we stand now?
The most recent CDC numbers are from 2019 and rank Georgia seventh highest for chlamydia, with Alaska and Mississippi sitting in the top two spots.
For primary and secondary syphilis, Georgia is eighth highest. Nevada and New Mexico are the top two.
Georgia did drop down to nineteenth for cases of gonorrhea in the 2019 numbers. Mississippi and Alaska are the top two, with our neighbors in Alabama and South Carolina are number three and four respectively.
However, all the numbers are from 2019, pre-pandemic.
OBGYN and 11Alive Medical Expert Doctor Sujatha Reddy says it's hard to tell where we are at now in 2021. She says many people missed their wellness checks during the pandemic.
"That's a lot of the time where we discover sexually transmitted infections. So I do think we probably missed some during the pandemic because people just didn't get checked," Dr. Reddy explained.
So, we can confirm, based on the most recent numbers, Georgia is not the worst state in the country for STD's.
But more data is needed to know where we stand right now.
Our VERIFY team is here to fact-check claims being shared in the community and online. Fill out the form below with something you'd like us to Verify.