That’ll burn into your memory! Billboards warning about gonorrhea appear in 19 cities as the STI rockets across the US

Dozens of billboards urging Americans to get tested for gonorrhea have popped up hovering over freeways in 19 cities across the United States.

The signs — which show a Titanic-like ship hitting an iceberg — come as cases reach their highest level since the 1990s, with 700,000 people now infected annually.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is behind the billboards, said they aimed to prompt people to ‘ask questions’ about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). They said the iceberg represented the unforeseen consequences of an infection.

It comes after a strain of super-gonorrhea — resistant to nearly all antibiotics — was spotted in Boston. Patients who catch the sexually transmitted disease can face infertility, inflammation of the pelvis and raise the risk of catching HIV.

The above shows one of the billboards that have been put up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pictured above are the gonorrhea rates per 100,000 people across the United States in 2013 and 2021, highlighting how cases are rising nationwide

Gonorrhea cases are trending upwards amid dropping usage rates for condoms, an increase in the number of sexual partners and the emergence of antibiotic resistance 

Marcelino Alcorta, the foundation’s western regional director, said the aim of the billboards was to encourage someone to Google to get tested.

‘There is a sense of desensitization when it comes to STDs,’ they told the Seattle Times.

‘The billboards go a long way toward someone Googling something or scheduling something with a provider.

‘There’s also value in asking a question, and if they’re among friends, hopefully, there is someone among their friend group who could start a conversation.’

The signs read: ‘Drug-resistant gonorrhea alert!’

They also have a link — freeSTDcheck.org — where Americans can visit to find out how to get a free test for gonorrhea.

Out of the cities where the signs have appeared Los Angeles, in California, has received the most billboards at 11 in total. 

It was followed by Baton Rouge, in Louisiana, and Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, who have each got seven billboards.

Seven of the 19 cities with billboards — or a third — were in Florida. These were Broward, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola and Saint Petersburg.

There were also two cities in Texas with billboards, Dallas and Houston, and another in California, Oakland.

The boards started going up around June and are expected to be on display for about 12 weeks. They have only recently gone up in some cities, like Seattle.

Everyone who is sexually active should get tested for sexually transmitted infections at least once a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) says.

All sexually active women under the age of 25 years should be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia every year, they added.

All sexually active gay or bisexual men should get tested at least once a year for syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. Those who have multiple sexual partners should get tested every three to six months.

Gonorrhea infections reached record levels in the 1970s and 1980s with around 400 cases per 100,000 people at its peak.

But with the advent of technologies such as condoms, increased awareness of STDs and infection control programs annual infections had plummeted by 74 percent since 1996.

This is one of the 11 billboards on display in Los Angeles. The city has the most in the United States

Above is the billboard warning over gonorrhea erected in Chicago

Pictured is a gonorrhea billboard in Atlanta, Georgia, to raise awareness over the disease

Over the last few years, however, infections have started to rise again with factors such as having more sexual partners, using condoms less often, a lack of testing and the emergence of antibiotic resistance all fueling the rise.

People can only become infected with gonorrhea via vaginal, anal, or oral sex when the bacteria is passed in bodily fluids from one person to another.

Early warning signs of infection include experiencing pain while urinating, having an abnormal discharge from the penis or anus and a redness or swelling in the urethra or vagina.

Infections are treated with a round of antibiotics. But in recent years, with the emergence of resistance, doctors are beginning to fear that an alternative is needed.

In some cases, infections can lead to infertility in men by triggering scar tissue in the urethra — which can reduce how many sperm exit the body during ejaculation.

In women, the bacteria can move through the cervix into the upper reproductive organs leading to inflammation and scarring which can affect fertility.

The bacteria can also raise the risk of someone being infected with HIV by making it easier for the virus to enter the bloodstream.

This year in Boston two people were diagnosed with a ‘concerning’ strain of super gonorrhea.

There was no connection between the pair, suggesting the disease is circulating more widely in the community. 

Dr Margaret Cooke, the head of the state’s health department, said the discovery was a ‘serious public health concern’. The strain has previously been spotted in both the UK and Austria.