“So while the national headlines recently trumpeted good news about STDs—herpes rates fell significantly throughout the 1990s, especially among young people—the local, untold story was scarier. An all but banished disease was making a serious comeback—and it wasn’t the only one. “The fact of the matter is we have seen increases in gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis,” says Blank. The health department doesn’t keep tabs on herpes cases, but the tracking of these other STDs paints a dark picture. Last year, there were 35,000 cases of chlamydia, a key cause of infertility. Girls between 10 and 14 years old account for a small but fast-growing fraction of that number. And while the national gonorrhea rate went down between 1999 and 2001, it went up slightly in the city in the same period, with cases almost doubling in girls between 10 and 14.

But at the center of heightened concern about the rising tide of STDs is syphilis, which Blank calls “the high-profile disease of the day.”” — Village Voice