SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Among the 62 counties in New York state, Onondaga County ranked No. 3 for gonorrhea and chlamydia and No. 4 for syphilis, which can cause heart disease, blindness and hearing loss if left untreated.

The county health department states that part of the increase stems from extreme poverty, along with the area's high population of college students, but there's also another, more technological reason.

“We’ve noticed that with the increase of certain apps on social media that have resulted in people having easier access to sexual partners or partners they didn’t know before. We are concerned about unprotected sex," says Rebecca Shultz of the Onondaga County Health Department.