Health Trends in Orange County California

Steven  Schaap

Health Trends in Orange County California

Steve is a Public Health Professional who works in the Epidemiology Office in the Health Department of Orange County (7148347700) , California. In the conversation we had he told me of the top 5 infectious diseases afflicting Orange County.

1. Chlamydial Infection – Chlamydia is the most common infectious disease in Orange County. In fact it is the most commonly spread STD in the country, with 1,307,893 infections reported in 2010. In the OC 7861 new cases were reported. The biggest risk seems to be to women who can suffer longer-lasting symptoms. Usually symptoms are mild, but if let untreated can lead to infertility and also pregnant mothers can pass on their infection to their babies during birth.

2. Gonococcal Infections – Number two is also an STD. Somewhere around 700,000 thousand cases of gonorrhea are reported in the US each year. This is disease is most prevalent among teens and young adults. For most who are infected, symptoms seem to be mild and some do not even know they are infected. However, if left untreated the consequences can be serious, usually leading to infertility in men and women.

3. Campylobacter – With 330 new cases reported, this Salmonella-like infection comes in at number 3 for Orange County. The bacterium that causes this disease is commonly found on the skin of raw chicken.  There are an estimated 2.4 million infections each year and about 124 deaths directly linked to this disease.  Symptoms from this type of infection can be diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever and can appear within two to five days after exposure to the bacteria.

4. Salmonella – This infection is also cased by bacteria usually found in food and comes in right behind campylobacter at 318 new cases reported in Orange County. Symptoms are similar to those of campylobacter, but appear even quicker, usually 12 to 72 hours after exposure. Some infected persons recover without treatment and some require hospitalization (usually because of excessive diarrhea).

5. HIV Infections – Orange County reported 240 new infections, which contributes to the estimate of 50,000 cases reported per year in the US. The infection is commonly found in people age 20 to 50 and in that range it is most prevalent among those aged 35 to 39. Those most affected by ethnicity are African Americans and White Peoples. The vast majority of infections come from male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use, but heterosexual activity also contributes substantially.