Recent reports from Hawaii indicate that the state is suffering from a sudden rise in the cases of sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
And the main suspected culprit right now is online dating, according to official sources. There is no real data to confirm the theory. However, it is an angle being considered seriously by health officials.
They believe that more people living on the archipelago have been connecting rapidly through online dating services and having sex without thinking of the consequences.
Gerald Hasty, program coordinator for the state harm reduction branch, explained: “As people rely on digital means of making connections, it can lead to circumstances where they might be more exposed to infection without them knowing it. More partners, more chances to get infections.”
The three diseases are at or near their highest rates in about 30 years in frequency across the state, and in some specific areas, the problem has reached alarming proportions.
In 2008, the state confirmed 5,972 cases chlamydia; in 2018, there were 7,732 cases recorded. Gonorrhea went from 611 to 1,496 cases. Ten years ago, there were 38 cases of Syphilis infections — in 2018, there were 180 cases.
According to studies, the increases in STDs are also due to many people who have been refraining from using protection and contraceptive measures in intercourse lately, which is likely the main contributing factor to the situation.
Hasty said the infections are spreading for the following additional reasons: “Lack of regular screenings or routine screenings contributes to increasing rates.”
Can anything be done? The question is still on the table, and no clear answer appears to be in sight yet.
There have been some proposals brought forward, but it looks like the state is going to have to deal with the problem more reasonably to avoid impacting the social structure.
Some have even proposed that online dating could be regulated more tightly, but the idea has generally been thrown out as absurd. At least for now — some are worried that this might not be the case in the future.
However, it does not seem like there are any moves in this direction so far, at least not from the legislative side. Whether that could change in the future is hard to predict.
Numbers are also on the rise in places like Kern County in California, which saw 27 and 28 percent increases in chlamydia and gonorrhea since 2010.
