Nationwide cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis surpassed the 2 million mark in 2016, hitting an all-time high and prompting federal health officials to call on state and local health departments to refocus efforts in the fight against the epidemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the numbers this week in a sexually transmitted disease surveillance report.

Chlamydia was responsible for the bulk of diagnoses, with nearly 1.6 million cases, followed by about 469,000 cases of gonorrhea and about 28,000 cases of the most infectious stages of syphilis.

The increase in sexually transmitted disease (STD) diagnoses also was evident across Ohio and in the Columbus metropolitan area.

"We unfortunately have seen that trend here," said Dr. Mysheika Williams Roberts, assistant health commissioner and medical director at Columbus Public Health. "It's a reminder that although we've made a lot of progress in the arena of HIV care and we are great at screening, our community as a whole is not practicing safe sex, not using condoms or abstaining from sexual relationships."

According to Ohio Department of Health figures, cases of chlamydia rose to 60,758 in the state in 2016; cases of gonorrhea rose to 20,534 and cases of the most infectious syphilis rose to 716.

Throughout Ohio, routine testing for STDs is offered to high-risk patients, such as individuals who report multiple sex partners, at local health departments and other healthcare providers, said Russ Kennedy, Ohio Department of Health spokesman.

He said the department offers free treatment medications for eligible clinics to pass onto people who cannot afford them. It also provides data, educational materials, technical assistance and treatment guidelines to local health departments, healthcare providers and others.

The state data indicate that cases of chlamydia rose in each of central Ohio's seven counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union.

Gonorrhea cases rose in all but Union County, where the number remained stagnant. Highly infectious syphilis increased in five of the counties, with numbers staying the same in Delaware and Madison counties. Madison had zero cases.

In Franklin County, African Americans are disproportionately affected by gonorrhea and chlamydia, Roberts said. Young African American men disproportionately make up the syphilis victims. She said syphilis has increased by 80 percent over the past four years, with cases of all stages rising from 220 in 2013 to 412 in 2016.

All three of the STDs can be cured with antibiotics, the CDC said in a news release. However, undiagnosed and untreated cases can lead to infertility, life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, birth defects or stillbirth in infants and an increased risk for HIV transmission.

The CDC noted that the nationwide study showed:

Young women were the victims of nearly half of all chlamydia infections.The majority of syphilis cases struck men, especially men who have sex with other men.There were 600 cases of syphilis among newborns in 2016, a 28 percent increase that resulted in 40 deaths.The steepest increase in gonorrhea was among men.

Along with calling on health departments to refocus detection and treatment efforts, the CDC recommends that health-care providers make STD screening a standard part of medical care and that the public talk openly about STDs. People also should get tested regularly and use condoms or practice mutual monogamy if sexually active.

"We've been dealing with STDs in our community for years," Roberts said. "I think people need to realize that they haven't gone away, and the biggest way we can make an impact on this is behavior change."

jviviano@dispatch.com

@JoAnneViviano