Blue Earth County ranks #1 in state for chlamydia rating
(Mankato, MN) – An annual report from state health officials shows sexually transmitted diseases on the rise in Minnesota, with Blue Earth County holding the top rate of infection for one disease.
The annual STD surveillance report found that there were 33,725 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported statewide in 2019, up 1, 701 cases from the previous year.
MDH says the rise in syphilis cases is especially concerning. From 2018 to 2019, cases increased by 23%. But chlamydia is still the number one reported infectious disease in the state, with 24,535 cases in 2019.
Blue Earth County holds the top chlamydia case rate in the state. Rates are cases per 100,000 persons. Blue Earth County had 524 reported cases of chlamydia, with a rate of 819. That’s higher than even metropolitan Hennepin County, which ranked second, with a chlamydia rate of 729.
There were 98 gonorrhea cases in Blue Earth County in 2019, a rate of 153.
Here are the case rates broken down by county: