NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Sexually transmitted diseases have increased across the U.S. for a third consecutive year and Louisiana ranked second-highest for each of the three STDs measured.

NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reported Tuesday that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Louisiana has the second-highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.

The CDC’s 2016 STD Surveillance Report was released in late September. Louisiana had roughly 16 syphilis cases per 100,000 people.

Gail Bolan with the CDC said that babies born with syphilis represent a systems failure as “all it takes is a simple STD test and antibiotic treatment to prevent this enormous heartache.”

Louisiana’s chlamydia rate was nearly 680 cases per 100,000 people. Gonorrhea was around 230 cases per 100,000.

A CDC report released last year said Louisiana had the second-highest rate of HIV diagnoses.