One particular sexual transmitted disease that I am familiar with is syphilis. To answer your question, yes, sexually transmitted diseases were a problem in the western world. Syphilis was a problem even up until penicillin was discovered as an anti-biotic in the the 1900's.

One intriguing example showing the problem of STDs in the western world is that path that Lewis and Clark took can be mapped by taking soil samples and measuring the mercury levels in the soil. Calomel was commonly used to treat syphilis at the time. Calomel is also know as Mercury Chloride. Syphilis was rampant on the expedition most likely from having unprotected sex with the Natives. Thus Calomel was commonly used and the reason why there is a elevated mercury levels in the soil along the trail of the expedition. So although not entirely neglected as in North Korea it was still a problem.

My source is a review paper titled "Venereal Disease and the Lewis and Clark Expedition"

Another example that shows the problems from sexual transmitted diseases is shown in the Tuskegee Syphilis experiments. Syphilis was such a problem in the United States in the 1930's that U.S Public Health Service and The Center for Disease Control decided to look at the effects of untreated syphilis. The experiment continued even after penicillin was discovered to treat late stage syphilis. This experiment has become the textbook example of unethical medical experimentation.

My source for this is an article titles "Unraveling the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis"

These are just a few examples I know that demonstrate the problems syphilis cause in the western world over the past 300 years.