CDC: Cases of STDs Hit “All-Time High”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that combined cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia “reached an all-time high in the United States in 2018.”

The increases, detailed in the CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report, highlight newborn deaths related to congenital syphilis (which increased by 22% from 2017 to 2018) as a major issue in need of addressing.

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Overall, from 2017 to 2018 there were more than 115,000 syphilis cases, with cases of primary and secondary syphilis increasing by 14% to the highest number reported since 1991. Cases among newborns increased 40%, and cases among women of childbearing age increased 36%. Five states (Texas, California, Florida, Arizona, and Louisiana) accounted for 70% of the total cases of syphilis in the United States.

Cases of gonorrhea increased 5% to more than 580,000 cases, the highest reported since 1991. Cases of chlamydia increased 3% to more than 1.7 million, which is the most ever reported.

Multiple factors are behind the increases in cases, including drug use, poverty, and other factors that reduce access to sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention; decreased condom use in vulnerable groups; and funding cuts to STD programs at the state and local levels.

“[U]rgent action from all types of stakeholders is needed to help control the increases in STDs," the report concluded. "Health care providers should make STD screening and timely treatment a standard part of medical care; this work can start with taking a complete sexual history. In addition, state and local health departments should strengthen the local public health infrastructure needed to prevent and control STDs, and ensure resources are directed to the most vulnerable populations.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

New CDC report: STDs continue to rise in the US [press release]. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; October 8, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/2019/2018-STD-surveillance-report-press-release.html. Accessed October 9, 2019.