Study finds gaps in reporting of STDs

ATLANTA - A three-state study found up to 36 percent of gonorrhea cases and up to 22 percent of chlamydia cases were not reported to public health officials, as required by state law. <br> <br> The government wants to see improvement in the figures because better, faster reporting of sexually transmitted diseases helps health departments quickly identify and control outbreaks. <br> <br> Analysts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say some doctors may be withholding the case reports because of concerns about confidentiality, and some data may get lost in paperwork mixups. <br> <br> The CDC conducted the study with managed-care companies in Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota, examining gonorrhea and chlamydia cases from 1995 to 1999. <br> <br> The study found that health departments were notified of 78 percent to 98 percent of chlamydia cases and 64 percent to 80 percent of gonorrhea cases. The CDC said health plans should examine ways to improve the numbers. <br> <br> There were also wide variations in the amount of time it took for positive test results to get from the lab to public health officials. Some results took less than a week, while others took more than a year. <br> <br> Most states have some type of law requiring the reporting of STD&#39;s, although there are variations. In Minnesota, for example, doctors and labs are required to report chlamydia, while Colorado requires reporting only by labs. <br> <br> Health officials were careful not to cast blame on labs, health plans or doctors. They said some cases may get lost in the mail, and in others typographical errors may have prevented names from matching up in the study.

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