Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board: Indian Leadership for Indian Health

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 2004, American Indians were nearly five times more likely than whites to have chlamydia, four times more likely to have gonorrhea, and twice as likely to have syphilis. 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:

  • From 2000-2004, 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 4.75 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 2004 rate of 706 cases per 100,000 population.
  • In 2006, 7.7% of sexually active women under the age of 25 who were screened for chlamydia at 68 IHS, urban, and tribal clinics tested positive for chlamydia (i.e. the chlamydia positivity rate was 7.7%).
  • In Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, American Indians and Alaska Natives make up 2.1%, 2.5%, and 2.7% of the total population (respectively), and accounted for approximately 3% of all reported chlamydia cases in 2003. Thus, both nationally and regionally, AI/ANs are disproportionately impacted by chlamydia infection.

Gonorrhea:

  • In 2004, American Indians and Alaska Natives had the second-highest gonorrhea rate (117.7 per 100,000 population), representing a 14.8% increase since 2003. This rate was 4 times higher than the rate among whites.
  • From 2000 to 2004, gonorrhea rates increased 19.4% among American Indians and Alaska Natives.
  • While gonorrhea rates among AI/ANs nationally are slightly lower than rates reported for “All Races” combined, this favorable trend is not present in the Northwest, where AI/AN gonorrhea rates have been higher than total Northwest population rates since 1981. This trend is particularly true among AI/AN women, where gonorrhea rates doubled those found among women of “All Races”.

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 2003 and 2004, the rates of primary and secondary syphilis increased among Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and American Indian/Alaska Natives. In 2004, the syphilis rates among American Indians and Alaska Natives increased 14.3%.
  • In 2004, the number of reported syphilis cases decreased among AI/AN men (from 50 to 42), but increased among AI/AN women (from 19 to 35).

HIV/AIDS:

  • When compared by ethnicity, AI/AN men and women had the third highest HIV/AIDS rate in 2004.
  • In 2004, the rate of HIV/AIDS diagnosis for American Indian and Alaska Natives men was 20.8 per 100,000, and was 7.7 per 100,000 among AI/AN 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 2004 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. IHS, STD Program - Infertility Prevention Project 2006 Data