For the first time in three decades, the nation's most common sexually transmitted disease is a little less common.
Health officials on Tuesday said the rate and number of chlamydia cases fell last year, by 1.5%. But there were still 1.4 million new cases reported -- more than any other sexually transmitted disease. Experts are not sure what to make of the one-year drop.
Chlamydia is easily treated with antibiotics. Untreated, it can damage a woman's reproductive system.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reported gonorrhea cases declined, by less than 1%. The numbers for the most contagious forms of syphilis rose about 10% -- to 17,375. The increase was mainly among gay men.
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Online: CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats13/default.htm (AP)
