Reported cases of three sexually-transmitted diseases have reached an all-time high in the United States.

A report published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals more than 2.4 million U.S. residents were diagnosed with gonorrhea, chlamydia or syphilis over the past year. The report blames a decline in condom use for the spike.

From CNN.com:

For the fifth consecutive year, combined cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis have risen in the United States, according to a Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published on Tuesday.

“Combined they total 2.4 million infections that were diagnosed and reported just in last year alone,” said Elizabeth Torrone, a CDC epidemiologist who worked on the new report, adding that the combined number marks “the most cases” ever recorded since monitoring began in the United States.

“Not that long ago, gonorrhea rates were at historic lows, syphilis was close to elimination, and we were able to point to advances in STD prevention,” Dr. Gail Bolan writes in the report. “That progress has since unraveled. The number of reported syphilis cases is climbing after being largely on the decline since 1941, and gonorrhea rates are now increasing.”

Congenital syphilis is a often life-threatening infection that occurs in infants when a pregnant mother who has syphilis spreads the disease through the placenta to her baby. The 2017 reports states that the number of congenital syphilis cases reported has double since 2013. There were 94 infant deaths due to this disease last year. Undiagnosed Chlamydia in young women is also a huge risk factor for fertility problems.

The new report found that rates of reported cases of these STD’s tended to be highest among adolescents and young adults and many of these strains are antibiotic resistant.

It’s estimated that young people ages 15 to 24 acquire half of all new STD cases and 1 in 4 sexually active adolescent girls has an STD, according to the report.

Please protect yourself and your partners, both current and future!

10/09/19