ATLANTA — There are some surprising search habits being revealed about the top health inquiries on Google from each state in the U.S.
In places like New York and New Jersey, it’s breast cancer. In Washington state, it’s body dysmorphia and in West Virginia, it’s porn addiction.
And while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says HIV has become an epidemic, so has, surprisingly, syphilis – to the point that the sexually transmitted disease is now the No.1 health inquiry searched on Google in the state.
But the list of STD concerns is growing.
The staff at Someone Cares Early Detection Intervention Clinic in Marietta treats and educates those suffering from sexually transmitted diseases.
Those medical experts also tell 11Alive they’re not just worried about syphilis numbers going up, but also those for Chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Dr. Earl Joyer has been practicing medicine for more than 20 years now. He says because of major advances in medicine, more people are now living normal lives with HIV, leading to some unanticipated consequences.
"There's a lot less fear about HIV, now,” he explains.
But he believes it's creating a syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia “tsunami” across the country. That, in turn, Joyner says is leading people to take fewer precautions and using less protection because they believe they can be fixed with a pill or a needle.
And while the needles needed for treatment are big, Joyner says neither they, nor the fears, are big enough to keep people from giving up protected sex.
He explains some patients come back to his office several times a year to get the pill or shot because of a false sense of security. But he warns that that way of thinking can be risky.
"We still have some non-curables, like Hepatitis B, herpes and HPV," Joyner says.
Despite the recent climbing STD numbers, clinic staff is continuing to push their campaign of safe sex education.
"No matter how beautiful or fine, or how much you like them, you treat everybody as if they have an STD that can't be cured,” recommends nurse practitioner Sharee Clark.
What medical conditions is your state Googling?
LIST | Top searched health concern by state (story continues below the gallery)
LIST | Top searched health concern by state
Here is the rest of the list:
- Alaska - UTI
- Arizona - Hashimoto's Disease
- Arkansas - Endometriosis
- California - Syphilis
- Colorado - Syphilis
- Connecticut - Quarter-Life Crisis
- DC - HIV/AIDS
- Delaware - Hypertension
- Florida - HIV/AIDS
- Georgia - Syphilis
- Hawaii - Hashimoto's Disease
- Idaho - E.coli
- Illinois - Syphilis
- Indiana - ADHD
- Iowa - Binge Drinking
- Kansas - Diabetes
- Kentucky - Hepatitis A
- Louisiana - HIV/AIDS
- Maine - Rabies
- Maryland - ADHD
- Massachusetts - ADHD
- Michigan - Endometriosis
- Minnesota - Hemorrhoids
- Mississippi - Genital Herpes
- Missouri - ADHD
- Montana - Hypertension
- Nebraska - Anorexia
- Nevada - Skin Cancer
- New Hampshire - ADHD
- New Jersey - Breast Cancer
- New Mexico - PTSD
- New York - Breast Cancer
- North Carolina - ADHD
- North Dakota - Ear Infection
- Ohio - Syphilis
- Oklahoma - Diabetes
- Oregon - HIV/AIDS
- Pennsylvania - Syphilis
- Rhode Island - Lupus
- South Carolina - Endometriosis
- South Dakota - Insomnia
- Tennessee - Strep Throat
- Texas - ADHD
- Utah - Hashimoto's Disease
- Vermont - Opioid Use Disorder
- Virginia - ADHD
- Washington - Body Dysmorphia
- West Virginia - Porn Addiction
- Wisconsin - ADHD
- Wyoming - Flu