Cases of chlamydia in Douglas County are at an all-time high, according to a new report.
Sexually transmitted diseases are one of five priority areas the Douglas County Health Department focuses on. In the yearly State of Public Health report, released Wednesday, DCHD says the rate of gonorrhea is up 12.5 percent from 2014.
Health Department director Dr. Adi Pour says their outreach and education efforts led to additional testing last year, with 1,689 young people tested at non-traditional sites.
"And I’m sure that number will increase further next year when we have a full year of the Adolescent Health Project. We do have a 7.7% overall positivity rate in non-traditional testing. So we know it helps to go where young people are, because we are getting them in get to get tested and we are finding positives."
STD rates in Douglas County are highest in among 15 to 24-year-olds. In 2014, 65 percent of the chlamydia cases and 53 percent of the gonorrhea cases were in that age group.