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Annual Summary: 2000 Minnesota Sexually Transmitted Disease Statistics

Sources and Limitations of Data

In Minnesota, laboratory-confirmed infections of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and chancroid are monitored by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) through a passive, combined physician and laboratory-based surveillance system. State law (Minnesota Rule 4605.7040) requires both physicians and laboratories to report all cases of these four bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) directly to the MDH. Other common sexually transmitted conditions caused by viral pathogens, such as herpes simplex virus (HSV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), are not reported to the MDH. Factors that impact the completeness and accuracy of the available data on STDs include: level of screening, accuracy of diagnostic tests, and compliance with case reporting. Thus, any changes in STD rates may be due to one of these factors, or due to actual changes in STD occurrence.

Population estimates by year, age, gender, race, and Hispanic origin for Minnesota counties were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau. Corresponding population estimates for the entire state were calculated from these county data. Population estimates for Minneapolis and St. Paul were calculated by applying the rates of change observed for Hennepin County and Ramsey County to the 1990 census data for Minneapolis and St. Paul, respectively. Please note that the population estimates used in calculating the rates for a given year are always one year older than for the reported number of cases. For example, 2000 rates are calculated by using 2000 case data and 1999 population data.

Overview of Statistics and Highlights

Trends in chlamydia infection, gonorrhea, and primary/secondary syphilis rates (per 100,000 persons) by year of diagnosis for the years 1996 through 2000 are shown in Figure 1. The corresponding number of cases and rates for all reportable bacterial STDs for the same years are presented in Table 1. In Table 2, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary/secondary syphilis case numbers and rates by residence, age, gender, and race/ethnicity for 2000 are provided. Finally, chlamydia and gonorrhea case numbers and rates by county for 2000 are shown in Table 3.

In 2000, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary/secondary syphilis rates increased compared to the previous year (increases of 8%, 10%, and 50%, respectively). Despite the increase, the primary/secondary syphilis rate remained low. STD rates continue to be highest in the seven county metropolitan area, particularly in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Adolescents and young adults (aged 15-24 years) have the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea, whereas the highest rates for primary/secondary syphilis are among persons in older age groups. For gonorrhea and primary/secondary syphilis, rates are comparable for men and women. The rate of chlamydia infection among women, however, is more than two times higher than the rate among men. This is largely due to more frequent screening among women. Rates of STDs are highest among communities of color. Blacks, American Indians, Hispanics, and Asians have rates that are nearly two to 75 times higher than rates for whites, depending on the STD and the racial/ethnic group.

Table 1. Number of Cases and Rates (per 100,000 persons) of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, and Chancroid – Minnesota, 1996 - 2000
Disease	1996 Cases	1996 Rate	1997 Cases	1997 Rate	1998 Cases	1998 Rate	1999 Cases	1999 Rate	2000 Cases	2000 Rate
Chlamydia	5,418	118	6,804	146	6,996	149	7,459	158	8,102	170
Gonorrhea	2,622	57	2,438	53	2,716	58	2,830	60	3,160	66
All Stages of Syphilis	123	2.7	118	2.5	78	1.7	72	1.5	79	1.7
Primary/Secondary Syphilis	15	0.3	16	0.3	9	0.2	10	0.2	16	0.3
Early Latent Syphilis	29	0.6	20	0.4	8	0.2	9	0.2	18	0.4
Late Latent Syphilis	78	1.7	82	1.8	61	1.3	52	1.1	43	0.9
Congenital Syphilis*	1	1.6	0	0.0	0	0.0	1	1.5	2	3.0
Chancroid	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	1	0.0	0	0.0

* Rate per 100,000 live births

Table 2. Number of Cases and Rates (per 100,000 persons) of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Primary/Secondary Syphilis by Residence, Age, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity – Minnesota, 2000
Group	Chlamydia Cases	Chlamydia Rate	Gonorrhea Cases	Gonorrhea Rate	Primary/Secondary Syphilis Cases	Primary/Secondary Syphilis Rate
Group	Chlamydia Cases	Chlamydia Rate	Gonorrhea Cases	Gonorrhea Rate	Primary/Secondary Syphilis Cases	Primary/Secondary Syphilis Rate
Residence
Minneapolis	2,673	684	1,589	407	9	2.3
St. Paul	1,647	604	714	262	2	0.7
Suburban *	1,846	98	540	29	2	0.1
Greater Minnesota	1,936	87	317	14	3	0.1
Age
<10 yrs	6	1	0	0	0	0.0
10-14 yrs	146	39	50	13	0	0.0
15-19 yrs	2,762	735	874	233	2	0.5
20-24 yrs	2,944	956	951	309	2	0.6
25-29 yrs	1,230	418	531	180	3	1.0
30-34 yrs	554	165	322	96	3	0.9
35-44 yrs	378	47	323	40	1	0.1
45+ yrs	82	5	109	7	5	0.3
Gender
Male	2,246	96	1,479	63	11	0.5
Female	5,856	242	1,681	69	5	0.2
Race/Ethnicity
White	3,230	73	784	18	3	0.1
Black	2,629	1,769	1,707	1,149	11	7.4
American Indian	316	540	72	123	1	1.7
Asian	410	314	44	34	0	0.0
Other or Unknown †	1,517	---	553	---	1	---
Hispanic §	604	652	125	135	0	0.0
TOTAL	8,102	170	3,160	66	16	0.3

* Suburban is defined as the seven county metropolitan area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties), excluding cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul

† No population data available to calculate rates
§ Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race

Table 3. Number of Cases and Rates (per 100,000 persons) of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea by County – Minnesota, 2000
County	Chlamydia Cases	Chlamydia Rate	Gonorrhea Cases	Gonorrhea Rate
Aitkin	7	49	1	7
Anoka	312	104	69	23
Becker	23	77	0	0
Beltrami	78	199	6	15
Benton	23	66	10	29
Big Stone	2	36	1	18
Blue Earth	87	162	19	35
Brown	16	60	0	0
Carlton	24	76	5	16
Carver	27	40	6	9
Cass	34	126	3	11
Chippewa	4	31	0	0
Chisago	18	43	2	5
Clay	52	101	7	14
Clearwater	8	98	1	12
Cook	0	0	1	21
Cottonwood	7	59	2	17
Crow Wing	48	91	3	6
Dakota	322	92	95	27
Dodge	18	104	0	0
Douglas	20	64	0	0
Faribault	9	55	0	0
Fillmore	13	63	0	0
Freeborn	39	124	6	19
Goodhue	20	46	2	5
Grant	2	33	1	17
Hennepin	3,434	323	1,858	175
Houston	7	36	4	21
Hubbard	11	65	4	24
Isanti	15	49	2	7
Itasca	22	50	6	14
Jackson	8	70	1	9
Kanabec	4	28	0	0
Kandiyohi	31	76	1	2
Kittson	0	0	1	19
Koochiching	8	54	0	0
Lac Qui Parle	0	0	0	0
Lake	3	28	1	9
Lake of the Woods	3	65	0	0
Le Sueur	6	24	1	4
Lincoln	0	0	0	0
Lyon	12	50	1	4
McLeod	9	26	2	6
Mahnomen	17	334	0	0
Marshall	5	50	0	0
Martin	18	83	5	23
Meeker	9	41	2	9
Mille Lacs	10	47	1	5
Morrison	10	33	1	3
Mower	60	162	12	32
Murray	2	21	0	0
Nicollet	9	31	2	7
Nobles	37	194	12	63
Norman	3	40	0	0
Olmsted	191	160	4	3
Otter Tail	22	40	9	16
Pennington	29	214	0	0
Pine	23	93	1	4
Pipestone	0	0	0	0
Polk	55	179	2	7
Pope	4	37	0	0
Ramsey	1,853	381	769	158
Red Lake	1	24	0	0
Redwood	3	18	0	0
Renville	8	48	1	6
Rice	36	66	4	7
Rock	3	31	0	0
Roseau	13	81	0	0
St. Louis	267	138	83	43
Scott	46	55	8	10
Sherburne	29	46	7	11
Sibley	13	88	0	0
Stearns	205	158	53	41
Steele	27	84	3	9
Stevens	3	30	0	0
Swift	7	62	1	9
Todd	12	50	0	0
Traverse	0	0	0	0
Wabasha	8	38	1	5
Wadena	6	45	0	0
Waseca	15	81	0	0
Washington	172	85	38	19
Watonwan	7	61	0	0
Wilkin	2	27	2	27
Winona	45	94	8	17
Wright	29	33	9	10
Yellow Medicine	2	18	0	0

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