CDC finds STIs, including gonorrhea and syphilis, on the rise

Between 2017 and 2021cases of gonorrhea increased by about 28%, cases of syphilis increased by almost 74% and cases of congenital syphilis increased by more than 203%.

The report showed that chlamydia cases fell by 4%, but researchers suspect the decline is due to reduced prevention and public health efforts during the pandemic and not an actual decrease in infections.

“The COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to rising STI rates because people may have had less access to education, testing and treatment,” says Dr Alcaide.

But STIs were increasing rapidly even before the pandemic hit.

Data suggests that barriers to care, discrimination, and STI-related stigma have all contributed to the increase in STIs.

Reduced condom usereduced prevention and screening efforts, and opioid usewhich is known to go hand in hand with STIs, would also have played a role.

Between 2020 and 2021 alone, syphilis has increased by 32%.

“While most new syphilis cases are occurring in men who have sex with men, we are also seeing an increase in cases in women, reflecting the increase in congenital syphilis,” Alcaide said. .

Dr Irene StaffordMaternal-fetal medicine physician and associate professor of OB/GYN at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, says syphilis is often a silent infection that has no symptoms.

“The rash and lesions of early syphilis can be asymptomatic and after they clear up an infected person doesn’t know they are still infected,” she says.

Infected people can then unknowingly pass it on to others through skin-to-skin contact or mucosal contact with an infected person.

“Transmission is easier than with other STIs that are transmitted through sex,” says Alcaide.

Many STIs can be asymptomatic in some people, however, if left untreated, they can lead to complications such as chronic pelvic pain, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, pregnancy complications, increased risk of getting infections like HIVand infant death.

Syphilis, for example, is more common in people of childbearing age, including pregnant women, according to Dr. Stafford.

If left untreated, the infection can be transmitted to the fetus and lead to health complicationslike speed and liver problems and nerve problems, due to congenital syphilis.

To prevent the spread of STIs, all sexually active people should get tested regularly once a year.

“If there is a new sexual partner, unprotected sex, recent STIs, or a partner with STI tests should be done more frequently,” says Alcaide.

Stafford says STI screenings and open conversations should be part of all routine healthcare visits, not just when people have behavioral risk factors.

“This discussion should include an open dialogue about practices and behaviors that might increase your STI risk,” Stafford said.

To combat the spread of STIs, she thinks more non-traditional settings, like emergency rooms, should screen patients for STIs.

Regular condom use, early diagnosis, treatment and vaccinations can all help stop the spread of STIs.

“Access to quality health care and innovative ways to reach our patients, increase health literacy and promote STI screening are desperately needed to reduce STIs and the morbidity and mortality of congenital syphilis, a 100% preventable infection,” says Stafford.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea increased by 7% in 2021. Syphilis saw the largest increase, increasing by 32% between 2020 and 2021.

The pandemic, which has led to reduced public health efforts and testing, likely contributed to the surge in cases, however, the number of STIs has been rising for years. Health experts say many factors contribute to this trend, such as limited access to care, reduced condom use, stigma, and higher use of opioids.