Data / Statistics
It has been recognized for some time that American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) are disproportionately impacted by high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In 2008, American Indians were nearly five times (4.7) more likely than whites to have chlamydia and almost four (3.6) times more likely to have gonorrhea. Ethnic minorities in the United States have traditionally had higher STD rates, in part a reflection of limited access to quality health care, poverty, and a higher background prevalence of disease in these populations.
Chlamydia:
In 2008, the chlamydia rate among American Indian and Alaska Native women was nearly 5 times higher than the rate reported among white women. Among Native men, the chlamydia rate was almost 4.5 times higher than the rate reported among white men.
In the U.S. as a whole, AI/AN chlamydia rates are about 2.5 times higher than the rates reported among all persons, with a 2008 rate of 808.8 cases per 100,000 population.
In the Portland Indian Health Service (IHS) Area, consisting of service counties in Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington States, Chlamydia rates have risen per 100,000 people from 344 in 2006 to 370 in 2007. Women continue to have higher rates of Chlamydia diagnoses than men by almost 3-fold , 543.6 vs. 190 for men in 2007.
In 2007 the highest female Chlamydia rates in the AI/AN Portland IHS Area population were 15-19 year olds at 3629.2 per 100,000 which is higher than the total U.S. rates for this age group (all races) which was 3004.7 per 100,000.
Gonorrhea:
In 2007, American Indians and Alaska Natives had the second-highest gonorrhea rate (107.1 per 100,000 population). This rate was 3 times higher than the rate among whites.
In 2007 AI/AN men and women ages 20-24 years had the highest rates of gonorrhea in comparison to all AI/AN men and women in the Portland IHS Area.
From 2006 to 2007, gonorrhea rates decreased 21.8% among American Indians and Alaska Natives and in the Portland IHS area the rate decrease was 13.6 per 100,000 during the same year.
Gonorrhea rates in the Portland IHS are significantly lower than the overall IHS and U.S. rates. The Portland rate in 2007 was 69.8 and the IHS total was 99.9 and the U.S. rate was 118.9 per 100,000 people.
Syphilis:
The syphilis epidemic in the late 1980s occurred primarily among heterosexual, minority populations. During the 1990s, the rate of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis declined among all racial and ethnic groups.
Between 2006 and 2007, the rates of primary and secondary syphilis increased among Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and American Indian/Alaska Natives. In this period, the syphilis rates among American Indians and Alaska Natives increased 6.2%.
In 2007 in the Portland IHS Area, AI/AN primary and secondary syphilis rates have plateaued but the majority of cases are still among females and their rates increased from 2006-2007 by 0.7 and males’ rates decreased by 0.2 per 100,000.
HIV/AIDS:
When compared by ethnicity, AI/AN men and women had the third highest HIV/AIDS rate in 2005.
In 2005, the rate of AIDS for American Indian and Alaska Natives men was 20% higher than that for white men and AI/AN women had an AIDS rate almost three times that of white women.
Among American Indian and Alaska Native males, the HIV/AIDS case rate increased 2.4% from 2001 to 2004, the most significant increase observed among any reported racial/ethnic group.
Among American Indian and Alaska Native females, the HIV/AIDS case rate increased 4.8% from 2001 to 2004, an increase that was second only behind Asians/Pacific Islanders (A/PIs).
Sources:
1. STD Surveillance 2008,
http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats
2. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, CDC 2004, Volume 16.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/2004report/default.htm
3. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, CDC 2008,
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/aian.htm
4. IHS, STD Program - Infertility Prevention Project 2006 Data
5. IHS Surveillance Report on STDs 2007,
http://www.cdc.gov/STD/stats/IHS/IHS-SurvRpt_Web508Nov2009.pdf
