Where Data Tells the Story
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After years of the rate of sexually transmitted infections rising in the U.S., some progress was made at least for gonorrhea and clamydia, numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. In the case of more deadly infection syphilis, only the rate of increase has slowed for now. Overall, the number of reported STIs in the United States decreased by 1.8 percent between 2022 and 2023, the latest year on record. However, the number of annual STI reports remains very high in the country. Jonathan Mermin, Director of CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, called the development "a glimmer of hope". The CDC also said that introducing home tests, preventative antibiotics available after risky sexual encounters and a syphilis task force contributed to the results.
Health officals had voiced serious concern for years after the U.S. had experienced significiant spikes in sexually transmitted infection prevalence in recent decades. 2.6 million cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis combined were recorded in 2019, an all-time high. The data is part of the Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report published by the CDC.
Numerous factors contributed to the recent increase, particularly funding cuts for local health departments that have caused staff shortages and clinic closures, as well as a decrease in condom usage. Reuters quoted the CDC's directer of STD Prevention, Gail Bohan, who sad that "the resurgence of syphilis, and particularly congenital syphilis, is not an arbitrary event, but rather a symptom of a deteriorating public health infrastructure and lack of access to health care.”
Cuts resulted in fewer people going to screening, aiding the spread of the diseases by undiagnosed individuals. Cases are highest among adolescents and young adults with over half occurring among people aged 15 and 24. The CDC said that "it is imperative that federal, state and local programs employ strategies that maximize long-term population impact by reducing STD incidence and promoting sexual, reproductive, maternal and infant health".