The CDC has issued a warning on all-time high rates of sexually transmitted diseases Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia.
What we know:
- According to the CDC, STD infections in the United States from three sexually transmitted diseases hit a record high with more than 2.4 million new cases in 2018. According to official findings from the CDC the STDs in question are syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
- Over 1.75 million cases of chlamydia were reported in 2018, that’s most ever reported to the CDC. Cases of primary and secondary syphilis, which are the two most infectious stages, rose 14% since 2017, with more than 35,000 cases. That’s the most reported in almost 30 years. Additionally, a total of 583,405 gonorrhea cases were reported, or a 63% increase since 2014, which is the highest number reported in 28 years.
- The CDC is currently very concerned about the transmission of congenital syphilis, an STD that is passed from a mother to her child during pregnancy. The CDC is calling the rise in syphilis cases “a dangerous trend” and part of a “growing STD epidemic.”
- The CDC believes the causes for the epidemic are lack of condom use among sexually active people, drug use and poverty, and limited resources brought on by eliminations to STD programs and clinic closures at the state and local levels. The CDC also wants to alert the public that many cases of these STDs go undiagnosed or untreated, making the issue even worse because the data recorded highlights only “a fraction of America’s STD epidemic.”
Antibiotics can cure syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, but they must be caught early enough for the medication to work effectively. Be safe and avoid the need for these medications as much as possible!
