Following a sharp increase in the number of cases this year, the Illinois Department of Public Health has declared an outbreak of gonorrhea in Rock Island County. There've been 44 cases in the county so far this year, compared with 27 at this time last year.
The health department's Chief Operating Officer, Janet Hill, says it's not a surprise because the number of cases of this and other sexually transmitted infections, or s-t-i's, has been going up locally and across the country.
"I think that people perhaps believe that they are being careful and are protecting against pregnancy, but they are not necessarily protecting against s-t-i's."
Hill says some people may not realize they have gonorrhea because its symptoms can be "vague and very mild." And left untreated, gonorrhea can cause infertility in women and men.
Even before the state's declaration of an outbreak here, the Rock Island County Health Department set up a task force to deal with the growing number of cases.
"We have been meeting with partners and the community, and looking at improving our messaging so people understand that s-t-i, while most of the time extremely treatable, is still a serious situation that needs to be dealt with. "
Hill says in most cases a simple round of anti-biotics can cure it. But the main problem is to convince people to get tested, and get treated, quickly.
