U.S. Gonorrhea Rates Lowest on Record BRIEFLY: UNITED STATES

Gonorrhea rates in the United States have fallen to their lowest level on record, but rates of two other sexually transmitted diseases, syphilis and chlamydia, are rising, according to federal health officials. An estimated 19 million new infections of sexually transmitted diseases occurred in 2004 at estimated health care costs of $19 billion, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Many cases of the three bacterial diseases go undetected, while many diagnosed cases are not reported, they said.