Two West Michigan cities are among the 40 worst in the country for sexually transmitted disease rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
A medical and wellness company compiled a list of the list of 100 cities by rates using data from a CDC report.
Kalamazoo had the 35th-highest rates and Grand Rapids came in at No. 39 for 2018. Other cities in Michigan included Detroit at 29th, Flint at 66th and Lansing in 82nd.
The CDC says the number of combined cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia reached an all-time high in 2018. Gonorrhea cases increased 5% to over 580,000, the highest number since 1991.
Cases of chlamydia also reached an all-time high nationwide with 1.7 million.
The CDC says there are multiple factors contributing to an increase in STDs, including drug use, poverty, stigma and unstable housing.
There has also been decreased condom use among people who are most vulnerable to STDs and a cut to STD programs at both federal and state levels, the CDC said.
