SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Health officials in northern Idaho and eastern Washington say the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea is at outbreak levels.

Spokane health officials announced last week that identified cases of gonorrhea grew more than 50 percent over the past three months. The Spokesman-Review reports that the northernmost five counties in Idaho saw cases jump 300 percent in 2013, and officials expect more cases to be reported this year.

Anna Halloran with Spokane Regional Health District says it's the highest rate of gonorrhea infection seen in the region in the past 20 years. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are the most common sexually transmitted diseases nationwide. Both are treatable with antibiotics. Halloran says gonorrhea often does not have symptoms, so it's important to be tested.

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