In Honolulu, Hawaii, there has been a steady increase in sexually transmitted diseases in recent years. This year shows the highest number of infections via sexual contact in decades. The authorities have been trying to find the answer to the riddle as to why it is so and it seems they have now.
Officials connected with the research are blaming the prevalence of online dating nowadays. Due to the easy access to meeting hundreds of people, diseases are also spread that much quicker. Furthermore, digital connections mean coming in contact with shady, unreliable people.
The program coordinator for the state harm reduction branch Gerald Hasty talked to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about this issue. He said on Sunday that many of these people do indeed pass on their STD without the other party knowing it. Also, the more partners you have, the greater chances you have of being infected. Hasty added that people should opt for regular screenings to protect themselves.
According to the state Department of Health’s Harm Reduction Services Branch, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis have had a big jump in recent years. Or to be exact, they have reached their highest point in 30 years. Officials have linked it with the decreasing use of safety contraceptives such as condoms.
Moreover, these three infections are almost impossible to detect at the onset. They do not have any problematic symptoms for the sufferers. Only much later do the diseases manifest themselves in a big way. Unfortunately, the STD figures for Hawaii are very in tune with the national growth rate of the infections.
As for the STD figures of Hawaii, Gonorrhea has increased from 611 cases ten years ago to 1496 cases in a year. And Chlamydia rates have also increased from 5,972 cases to 7,732 every year. Moreover, Syphilis has seen the biggest growth. There were only 38 cases reported a decade ago compared to the 180 now.