2. Although not a reportable condition, 3 million cases of BV diagnosed in the US annually.

Although women with BV may experience an odorous discharge or abnormal vaginal bleeding, approximately one-half of cases are asymptomatic and the annual number may exceed 6 million.

Higher proportion of BV among women attending STD clinics, low income women and urban women thus need to be aware of the study population when interpreting rates of BV.