STDs rates increasing in Oklahoma’s 50+ population

ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) - STDS are on the rise in Oklahomans 50 and older, according to data from the health department.

Chlamydia has increased 488%, and gonorrhea 893%.

The national average of gonorrhea cases for adults 55-and-over is 19 per capita.

Christian Worstell studies CDC data for HelpAdvisor. He found that in Pontotoc, Carter, Atoka, and Marshall counties, the rates were higher.

“Marshall, in fact, was more than twice the national average for gonorrhea cases per 100,000,” Worstell said. “And Marshall was also higher than the national average for chlamydia cases. And these are all in respect to people ages 55 and up.”

According to the state health department, documenting syphilis is a little harder. It requires more follow up. But for Oklahomans over 50, the disease has increased at least 580 percent in the last decade.

“It’s a bacterial infection, it can be treated with antibiotics, usually penicillin very successfully,” Chris Munn with the Oklahoma State Department of Health said. “A lot of what we see though is sometimes those people are hesitant to name contacts, and that can lead to re-infection.”

Why’s it happening? Worstell said the most likely answer is that testing is more common and more accurate now. But there are other possible reasons.

“Divorce rates among those ages 55 and up are on the increase,” Worstell said. “Which suggests that people might be having new and different partners. There’s less of a risk for pregnancy at that age, so condom usage may suffer as a result of that. There are medications for both men and women to extend your sex life into a later age. There are menopause changes to the body to make it more difficult to fend off certain STDs.”

You don’t want to leave any STD untreated.

“Syphilis is particularly nasty,” Munn said. “For adults it can lead to blindness, severe neurological defects and even death.”

Munn said if you’re embarrassed about talking with your doctor, you can come to the health department.

“We’re not here to judge you,” Munn said. “Lets treat it and help you to move on.”