Trends of gonorrhea and chlamydial infection during 1985-1996 among active-duty soldiers at a United States Army installation

High rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been reported in mi litary populations. However, it remains uncertain whether the incidence of STDs is higher among military personnel than in the civilian population. Th e annual incidence of gonorrhea and chlamydia from 1985 through 1996 at For t Bragg, North Carolina, was determined by use of a clinic database and dem ographic information for the entire installation. A direct standardization for age, sex, and race/ethnicity was performed, and the adjusted annual rat es among active duty soldiers were compared with rates among men and women in North Carolina and the United States. Results showed that the adjusted i ncidence of gonorrhea and chlamydia among Fort Bragg soldiers remained high er overall than comparable state and national rates during the period of an alyses. The 1996 adjusted chlamydia rates for male and female active duty s oldiers were 3-fold to 6-fold higher than rates for males and females in No rth Carolina and in the United States as a whole. STDs continue to lead to significant morbidity in this representative military population.