Arkansas STD Statistics

Arkansas ranks among the top states when it comes to the prevalence of several different sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs. In addition to the state’s position among the states with the highest rates of STDs, most such infections are on the rise across Arkansas. This trend in Arkansas tracks with broader national trends that have seen rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis rise for the past four straight years.

Which sexually transmitted diseases and infections are most common here in Arkansas, how have their rates changed over the past few years, and where in the state are the highest concentrations of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis? To understand the STD problem in Arkansas, we’ll explore data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Arkansas Department of Health.

Chlamydia Rates in Arkansas

Arkansas ranks No. 12 overall in the U.S. with a population-adjusted chlamydia rate that’s about 10% higher than the rate for the entire United States.

• See Best Chlamydia Test Options

Chlamydia infections per 100,000 people

The chlamydia rate in Arkansas has gone up every year since 2014, but it’s up just a bit from the rate in 2012.

Arkansas chlamydia rate by year (cases per 100,000 people)

Six of the 10 states with the highest chlamydia rates are in the South, which serves to push Arkansas to the middle of the region.

Chlamydia infection rate, Southern states (cases per 100,000 people)

Gonorrhea Rates in Arkansas

Arkansas ranks No. 7 overall in the United States when it comes to the prevalence of new gonorrhea cases. The state’s seventh-place rate is more than 30% higher than the overall U.S. rate.

• See Best Gonorrhea Test Options

Gonorrhea infections per 100,000 people

The gonorrhea rate in Arkansas has climbed steadily since 2013, rising by nearly two-thirds in that time.

Arkansas gonorrhea rate by year (cases per 100,000 people)

Eight of the top 10 states for gonorrhea are in the South, and Arkansas comes in No. 6 in the region.

Gonorrhea infection rate, Southern states (cases per 100,000 people)

Syphilis Rates in Arkansas

Arkansas is ranked 20th nationally for the population-adjusted rate of primary and secondary syphilis infections, but the state’s rate is more than 15% lower than the overall national rate.

• See Best Syphillis Test Options

Primary and secondary syphilis infections per 100,000 people, top 25

Syphilis prevalence has been on a steady increase in Arkansas over the past half-decade, and the rate has nearly doubled since 2014.

Arkansas primary and secondary syphilis rate by year (cases per 100,000 people)

Six of the 10 states with the highest syphilis rates are in the South, and 12 of the top 25 states are Southern. Arkansas ranks in the bottom half of the region.

Primary and secondary syphilis infection rates, Southern states (cases per 100,000 people)

HIV & Other STD Rates in Arkansas

HIV

Nearly 300 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in Arkansas in 2017, and the state ranks among the 20 states with the highest population-adjusted rates of new HIV diagnoses. However, Arkansas has seen a 7% decline in the HIV rate since 2016. See Best Ways to Test for HIV

Hepatitis B & C

Arkansas has the lowest rate of acute hepatitis C infections in the United States, though the state has a higher rate of acute hep B infections than the overall national rate. The hep C rate has declined to close to zero in Arkansas in recent years, while the acute hep B rate has jumped by more than 75% over the past few years. See Best Ways to Test for Hepatitis C

HPV

The world’s most common sexually transmitted disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), also happens to be the primary cause of several types of cancers, including cervical, penile and anal cancers. While no reliable data exists to tell us exactly how many people in Arkansas have HPV at any given time, we can look at the state’s rate of HPV-related cancers. Arkansas has the fifth-highest rate of HPV-related cancers, meaning it’s likely many people have untreated HPV in the state. The HPV-caused cancer rate in Arkansas is 14.2 per 100,000, a few points higher than the national median of 11.7 per 100,000. See Best Ways to Test for HPV

STDs in Arkansas Cities & Counties

While Arkansas mostly ranks high among states for how prevalent STDs are, a large proportion of all STD cases are diagnosed in just one area — Little Rock. Another metro area, Fayetteville, adds even more.

Chlamydia

Nearly 1 in 4 chlamydia cases in Arkansas come from the Little Rock area.

Arkansas counties by chlamydia infection rate (cases per 100,000 people), top 10

Gonorrhea

Little Rock and Fayetteville combined to account for nearly 40% of all gonorrhea cases in Arkansas.

Arkansas counties by gonorrhea infection rate (cases per 100,000 people), top 10

Primary and secondary syphilis

Well over half of all syphilis infections occurred in people living in the Fayetteville or Little Rock areas.

Arkansas counties by primary and secondary syphilis infection rate (cases per 100,000 people)

Conclusion

Arkansas ranks near the top of the country when it comes to how common certain sexually transmitted disease and infections are. And while the state is generally seeing an increase in the prevalence of most such STDs, Arkansas has made progress in preventing other diseases. What this means is that it’s possible to combat sexually transmitted diseases, and one of the best ways to do that is to ensure you’re getting regularly tested for the diseases you’re most at risk of contracting and spreading. Few people spread STDs knowingly, and only a fraction of people who actually have STDs ever get tested. Finding out your status can be difficult to contemplate, but knowledge is power when it comes to the fight against STDs.

Additional References

• Arkansas Department of Health, STI Surveillance Report Arkansas, 2017. (Undated). Retrieved from https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/pdf/2017_STD_Report.pdf
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV Surveillance Report, Diagnoses of HIV Infection in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2017. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/library/reports/surveillance/cdc-hiv-surveillance-report-2017-vol-29.pdf
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2017. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/SRtables.pdf
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV-Associated Cancer Rates by State, 2011-2015. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/statistics/state/index.htm
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Surveillance for Viral Hepatitis – United States, 2016. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/statistics/2016surveillance/index.htm

Note: Some states have published more recent data for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis. For states in which that’s the case, we have substituted the individual state data for 2018 and used that in our rankings, while other states’ rankings are based on 2017 numbers. Additionally, some states reported rates that differed from the CDC-reported data for all years, and where the rates were similar, we’ve substituted the state-level data. Where the differences were substantial, we maintained the CDC-reported data in the interest of ensuring fair comparison across the states.

by AtHomeSTDKit

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