A flyer posted on a bulletin board at the University of Alaska Anchorage on April 20 provides information about testing for sexually transmitted infections. Alaska has some of the nation’s highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

The most commonly reported infectious diseases in Alaska, other than respiratory illnesses such as the flu, come from sexually transmitted infections, according to the state’s most recent annual report.

There were 5,118 cases of chlamydia in Alaska in 2023, the highest number of STDs in annual report of infectious diseases issued by the Alaska Department of Health.

Annual reports on infectious diseases are issued each year by the epidemiology section of the department’s Public Health Directorate.

The second highest number in the annual report was for gonorrhea, with 2,280 cases documented in 2023.

Totals for chlamydia and gonorrhea last year are similar to those presented in previous annual infectious disease reports. Usually the two diseases are the first positions in those reports.

Alaska has some of the nation’s highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, Alaska had the third highest rate of chlamydia in the nation and the fourth highest rate of gonorrhea, according to the CDC.

There were 392 reported cases of syphilis in Alaska in 2023, according to the state epidemiological report. Syphilis rates in Alaska in 2022 were higher than the national average.

Alaska—like much of the country—had a recent wave in cases of congenital syphiliscaused by the infection of newborns by their mothers. This growth prompted the Division of Public Health earlier this year recommends more extensive testing for infection, especially for populations at risk.

Hepatitis is another commonly reported infectious disease in Alaska, with 645 cases of chronic hepatitis C and 138 cases of chronic hepatitis B documented, according to the report.

The recently released annual report on infectious diseases does not fully reflect a the recent increase in pertussis cases in Alaska and the nation. In 2023, there were 26 known cases of the disease, also called whooping cough, in Alaska, according to the report. That compares to just two in 2022, according to the report report issued last year.

But the case numbers in Alaska has grown substantially this yearwith monthly totals peaking in September at 129, according to the division’s epidemiology section.

Influenza and COVID-19 trends

Separately, the epidemiology section launched its annual balance sheet of flu and COVID-19 cases. That report showed changes in the number of cases over the season that ran from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. It is the first such annual epidemiological summary of both influenza and COVID-19 totals.

An unusual feature of the season just ended was the early peak in flu cases, the report said, with a large spike in late fall.

“Influenza cases this season have increased earlier than any year on record since October 2023,” the report said.

For COVID-19, there was a spike in cases in the middle of winter, followed by another spike in the summer, the report said. This was similar to national trends, the report said.

Total reported cases of influenza and COVID-19 were slightly lower in the 2023-2024 season than in the previous season, the report said.

During the 2023-2024 season, there were 10 flu-related deaths and 80 COVID-related deaths among Alaskans, the report said. These fatal cases were identified through clinician reports, hospital records, and review of death certificate data.

That compares with five flu deaths in the 2022-2023 season, according to last year’s flu report.

In calendar year 2023, there were 56 deaths caused by COVID-19 in Alaska, according to the states annual vital statistics report.

Only 23.7 percent of Alaskans 18 and older were immunized against the flu in the 2023-24 season, a rate “significantly lower than the national average,” the report said. Only 13.4 percent of Alaskans age 18 and older were considered up-to-date on the COVID-19 vaccine, a rate also well below the national average, according to the report.

The division leads continuous tracking of influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases and posts weekly updates showing seasonal trends. The total reported cases of RSV have been fewer than those of influenza or COVID-19, but there is a somewhat similar pattern, with spikes in the winter, according to the data.