Data highlight
The rates of Chlamydia and Syphilis (primary and secondary) among Oklahoma women aged 15-19 are higher than the national average.
STI Incidence in Adolescents
The rates of Chlamydia and Syphilis (primary and secondary) among Oklahoma women aged 15-19 are higher than the national average.
Number of new cases of chlamydia, syphilis (primary and secondary), and gonorrhea per 100,000 women ages 15-19 in 2023.
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence in adolescents refers to the number of new cases of sexually transmitted infections within 15-19 year olds. It is a measure of the rate at which new infections occur.
Understanding STI incidence is crucial, as it helps in monitoring the spread of infections, assessing the effectiveness of prevention programs, and identifying populations that may be at higher risk.
Oklahoma has one of the highest instances of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the country, and a sizable portion affects teens. Despite only representing a quarter of the population that’s sexually active, people aged 15-24 represent half of new STI infections in the United States. Monitoring STI rates in the teen population helps us to understand the prevalence of infections and design targeted prevention and education programs to help reduce spread.
The high rates among adolescents underscore the importance of accessible, comprehensive, and confidential healthcare services for youth. STIs are often asymptomatic, going unnoticed until an individual faces more severe complications or their sexual partner is diagnosed. Left untreated, they can lead to serious physical health complications such as cancer, inflammatory disease, and increased risk of HIV acquisition.
For women, the impact of STIs on pregnancy and fertility can be deadly. Mother-to-child transmission of STIs can result in stillbirth, neonatal death, low-birth weight and prematurity, sepsis, neonatal conjunctivitis and congenital deformities. Congenital syphilis – a common STI transmitted during pregnancy – has tripled in recent years.
STIs can have an adverse impact on not just the physical health of adolescents, but on their mental health as well. Individuals diagnosed with STIs have reported anxiety, shame, stigma, and concerns about relationships.
The good news is that STIs are largely preventable and curable. The most efficient way to prevent the spread of infection is by using condoms for any form of intercourse.
To combat the spread of STIs, comprehensive adolescent sex education is essential, particularly about the importance of condoms in STI prevention. Research shows that abstinence-only curricula does not meet the fundamental needs of youth who have already engaged in sexual activity, and it fails to provide them with the information they need to safeguard their sexual health (See Students Exposed to Sex Education).
Vaccine development is another increasingly important tool for slowing the spread of STIs in Oklahoma and beyond. There are currently vaccines available for several STIs: HPV, hepatitis A and B, and mpox. Minors can access confidential STI treatment and testing in Oklahoma. Getting screened for STIs is a great way for adolescents to be confident and knowledgeable about their reproductive health before engaging in sexual activity.
STIs significantly impact the U.S. economy and health care system. A 2008 analysis from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated the total direct cost of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HPV was $2.4 billion annually. This estimate does not include the cost of adverse pregnancy outcomes, productivity losses due to illness, and the cost of STI screening and prevention programs.
Each year, CDC releases its report “Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance” outlining the latest data on national trends for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. It is considered the gold standard for tracking STI prevalence in the United States. The 2024 provisional Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance report was released in September of 2025. However, the 2024 provisional report does not include state-wide data. Thus, the 2023 report was used for this indicator to best capture STI trends in Oklahoma in comparison to national statistics.
Data on total syphilis cases — which includes all variations of the disease, even congenital syphilis — were not available by age group and sex for the U.S. in 2023, despite the information being accessible at the state level. In 2023, the rate of total syphilis cases among females aged 15–19 in Oklahoma was 43.3 per 100,000. As a result of the missing national values, it was not possible to determine total syphilis rates among female adolescents nationwide to compare with Oklahoma. The most detailed and relevant data available for this age group were statistics on primary and secondary syphilis (the most common forms of the disease among adolescents).
Therefore, to allow for the most accurate and meaningful comparison between Oklahoma and the U.S., only rates of primary and secondary syphilis were analyzed. In the future, comparison between all forms of syphilis in Oklahoma to the U.S. would be ideal – especially because Oklahoma has one of the highest teen birth rates in the nation, so congenital syphilis (which occurs during pregnancy) may be present in this age group at a higher rate than the national average.
Rates of STIs are not evenly distributed across all groups. STIs disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM). When considering both male and female adolescents, the overall rates of adolescent STIs are higher both in Oklahoma and nationwide.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent behavior and data collection likely impacted the statistics discussed in this article, despite the most comprehensive dataset being from 2023. Social distancing, school closures, and decreased in-person socialization during the pandemic impacted sexual activity among adolescents. Further, the pandemics impact on healthcare – specifically, sexual/reproductive health services – led to disruptions in STI prevention and care, including reduced screening.
This issue brief was written by Metriarch staff as part of our Data Lookbook.
Suggested citation
Metriarch. “Adolescent Health,” Data Lookbook (2025). URL: https://www.metriarchok.org/adolescent-sti/
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