LEWISTON, Maine - Maine is seeing a spike in sexually-transmitted diseases.
State epidemiologist Dr. Siiri Bennett says when comparing the number of STDs year-to-date to the five year median year-to-date, "syphilis has more than doubled, gonorrhea has more than doubled, and chlamydia is probably about 25 percent higher this year than the median over the last five years."
Bennett says the spike in Maine mirrors a national trend. A number of factors are likely the cause, she says, including the fact that many people who have STDs don't show immediate symptoms.
