US state blames dating apps for STD increase
Dating apps have been blamed for a rise in STDs in a US state.
A US health department has reportedly issued a warning over the use of dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr after a 79 percent jump in syphilis cases in the state of Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island health department has attributed a sharp increase in STDs between 2013-14 to the proliferation of dating apps, the Independent has reported.
Syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV cases had all increased across the state, with the latter jumping by a third.
"Casual and often anonymous sexual encounters" arranged through dating apps were blamed.
Department director Nicole Alexander-Scott said the increasing rates of STDs showed there was more work to do.
"We are fortunate in Rhode Island to have great partnerships among state agencies, community-based organizations, and healthcare providers to continue to educate, test, and treat for sexually transmitted diseases," she said.
"This trend reminds us we cannot become complacent."
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