Sexually transmitted diseases, commonly known as STDs, rose almost 10 percent in Los Angeles County last year, reaching an all time high, according to state health officials.

The California Department of Health released their annual STD report, citing more than 300,000 cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis reported in 2017. That number represents a 45 percent increase from five years ago.

“STDs are preventable by consistently using condoms, and many STDs can be cured with antibiotics,” said Karen Smith, the director of the California Department of Public Health. “Regular testing and treatment are very important for people who are sexually active, even for people who have no symptoms.”

Most people infected with an STD do not know it, she added.

If left untreated, chlamydia and gonorrhea can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain. Syphilis can result in blindness, hearing loss and neurological problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The figure that caused the greatest alarm for researchers and administrators was 30 stillbirths throughout California reportedly caused by congenital syphilis — the highest number reported since 1995.

Since 2013, the number of babies in California born with congenital syphilis has more than quadrupled — to 278 last year. There were more babies born with congenital syphilis in California in 2017 than there have been since 1995, according to state data.

Los Angeles County alone saw congenital syphilis cases jump from eight in 2013 to 47 last year.

The SCV Pregnancy Center offers STD screening and prevention services to try and combat this growing trend, according Angela Bennett, president and CEO of the pregnancy center.

One of the riskiest factors leading to STDs is having multiple partners, said Bennett, quoting a former U.S. surgeon general, C. Everett Koop.

“When you have sex with someone, you are having sex with everyone they have had sex with for the last ten years, and everyone they and their partners have had sex with for the last ten years,” she said.o,

Bennett recommend regular STD screenings to lower the risk of spreading diseases.

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