Some of North Carolina's STD rates higher than the national average and still on the rise

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Alarming new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have parents taking notice.

The CDC says certain sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise, across the country and in North Carolina.

And children and teens are among the most affected.

The CDC's new report specifically tracked cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia.

North Carolina ranked sixth for chlamydia cases, with a positive case found in every 647.8 out of 100,000 people.The state ranked ninth for gonorrhea and 15th for syphilis.

Wake County saw an increase in cases of syphilis and chlamydia over the past year, but cases of gonorrhea stayed the same.

• There were 237 syphilis cases in Wake County in FY17-18 and 282 cases in FY18-19, an increase of 19.0 percent.
• There were 6,276 chlamydia cases in Wake in FY17-18 and 6,591 cases in FY18-19, an increase of 5 percent.
• There were 2,158 gonorrhea cases in Wake in FY17-18 and 2,156 cases in FY18-19, a decrease of 0.1 percent.

HIV cases in Wake County also increased, going from 125 cases to 133 cases -- an increase of 6.4 percent.

In addressing these numbers, health experts are encouraging people to become educated, get tested and most importantly, if you're having sex, protect yourself.

One of the facilities specializing in sex education and prevention is Alliance of AIDS Services Carolina. They stress what they call is a "shared responsibility" among all parties and parents needs to be on alert.

"If you are talking to your child and your child can talk to you and ask any questions, then it won't be your kid. But if the school system is not providing comprehensive sexuality education, then you have to do it at home. I think it's a shared responsibility," said Dr. Melissa Haithcox-Dennis.