Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance: Summary Points from the Indian Health Service STD Surveillance Report, 2004.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) impose a significant burden on the Indian Health Service (IHS) health care system and on American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people as a whole. AI/AN populations are one of the smallest racial groups in the US, representing between 0.9% 1.5% of the population according to Census 2000, but are disproportionately affected by STDs. In 2004, among all races and ethnicities, AI/AN had the second highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis. In 2004, reported case rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis among AI/AN were 2 to 6 times higher than comparable rates for whites. The publication of the Indian Health Surveillance Report on Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), 2004 represents the first report dedicated to the status of STD morbidity among AI/AN. This report summarizes key findings from the larger report that was produced as part of a collaborative effort between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and IHS. Findings from this report are intended to increase awareness regarding the burden of STDs in AI/AN populations, which may lead to improvements in STD testing and clinical care, and increases in funding and research activities related to STD prevention and control in these communities.1 HHS Public Access Author manuscript IHS Prim Care Provid. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2019 October 10.