It's no surprise: Delaware had some of the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea in the country in 2016, a new federal study said Tuesday.

State health officials have been warning for years that the rates of sexually transmitted diseases were climbing, particularly among teens.

Delaware is not alone in record-setting numbers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released its 2016 STD Surveillance Report, said there was a record high with more than 2 million reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the U.S. last year.

The First State ranked No. 8 for highest reported chlamydia rates per capita with 5,365 cases and No. 10 for gonorrhea rates with 1,702 cases. Delaware ranked No. 24 for primary and secondary syphilis cases with 58 cases.

The state has ranked in the top 20 for chlamydia rates since 2009. In 2015, Delaware ranked No. 13 for gonorrhea rates.

Nationally, there were 1,598,354 cases of chlamydia, 468,514 cases of gonorrhea and 28,442 cases of syphilis in 2016, the study said.

More:Report: More young people have a tattoo than ever before and it needs to be discussed

The health agency estimates there are 20 million new STIs every year, yet only a fraction of that data is known. These infections make up about $16 billion in health care costs.

The CDC has seen a "troubling rise" in syphilis among women and newborns. The rates have increased by 36 percent from 2015 to 2016 in women and 28 percent among newborns, who are getting it through their mothers during pregnancy.

Dr. Martin Luta, director of the state's Office of Infectious Disease, said Delaware isn't seeing an increase in syphilis among women or congenital syphilis cases in babies.

But the state is seeing an increase in primary and secondary syphilis in men. Last year, there were 55 cases in men and three cases in women, he said.

More:This man believes rowing could make Wilmington healthier -- and safer

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STD in the U.S., the CDC said. About 46 percent of the people with chlamydia were young women ages 15-24.

Untreated STDs can increase women's risk for pelvic inflammatory disease, leading to fertility and other issues.

The steepest increase in gonorrhea cases -- 22 percent -- occurred for men. Data has shown that it's also increased among men who have sex with other men.

The rise in gonorrhea is concerning because there's been a "growing threat of drug resistance to the last remaining recommended gonorrhea treatment," the CDC said. The bacteria has grown resistant to almost every drug.

More:Delaware to outsource newborn screenings while ramping up STD testing

The CDC recommended that state and local health departments put resources toward STD investigation and clinical infrastructure for faster detection and treatment. Providers should also better incorporate STD screenings and treatments in prenatal care.

This fall, the state's Division of Public Health plans to ramp up its sexually transmitted infections lab, partly by outsourcing its newborn baby screenings to a private company.

State officials said focusing on STDs more will help battle the increasing number of cases that are harder to treat because of antibiotic resistance. The state performs about 40,000 venereal tests a year.

Luta said STD rates are increasing in Delaware, and throughout the country, because people continue to have unprotected sex. Condoms or abstinence are the only ways to avoid risk of an STD, he said.

Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.