STD Infections Fall in Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The state Health Department reports the

number of new infections from sexually transmitted diseases dropped

in Minnesota in 2009 for the first time in 14 years.

The Star Tribune of Minneapolis reports there were 16,702 new

cases last year, a 5 percent decline from 2008.

The most common disease was chlamydia, with a total of 14,186

new cases. That was down slightly from 2008. The second most common

STD was gonorrhea, which dropped 24 percent from 2008 to 2,302

cases last year. That seems to mirror a national trend of fewer

cases.

Cases of early syphilis were down 28 percent in 2009, to 117

from 163 in 2008. However, the percentage of those co-infected with

syphilis and HIV rose by 5 percent in 2009.

Tags: daily updates, news, minnesota, health, sexually, transmitted, disease