The CDC is reporting on the 2014 STD Surveillance Report, which found three STD’s – chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – to have increased for the first time since 2006.
“The approximately 1.4 million reported cases of chlamydia, a rate of 456.1 cases per 100,000 population, is up 2.8 percent since 2013,” the report found. This is the highest number of annual cases of any condition ever reported to the CDC.
Increased chlamydia rates are followed by sizeable increases in primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis – the most infectious stages of syphilis –and gonorrhea, both of which increased by 15.1 percent and 5.1 percent respectively since 2013.
The demographic which is suffering the most from this epidemic continues to be our nation’s young people.
“The 2014 data also show that youth are still at the highest risk of acquiring an STD, especially chlamydia and gonorrhea,” the report states. “Despite being a relatively small portion of the sexually active population, young people between the ages of 15 and 24 accounted for the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea in 2014 and almost two thirds of all reported cases. Additionally, previous estimates suggest that young people in this age group acquire half of the estimated 20 million new STDs diagnosed each year.”
“The consequences of STDs are especially severe for young people,” said Gail Bolan, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “Because chlamydia and gonorrhea often have no symptoms, many infections go undiagnosed and this can lead to lifelong repercussions for a woman’s reproductive health, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.”
Preventing STDs among youth is a key priority, the CDC claims, and is encouraging a variety of new testing programs and treatment options. Abstinence is listed as the number one way to prevent infection with a sexually transmitted diseases, followed by vaccination, mutual monogramy pledges, limiting the number of sexual partners and condoms.
Another hard-hit demographic in the STD epidemic are gay and bisexual men.
“P&S syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) has been increasing since at least 2000,” the report states. “In 2014, rates of P&S syphilis increased among MSM, who account for 83 percent of reported cases among men when the sex of the partner is known. Also concerning is that more than half of MSM (51 percent) diagnosed with syphilis in 2014 were also HIV-positive. Infection with syphilis can cause sores on the genitals, which make it easier to transmit and acquire HIV.”
Even though syphilis is currently the only STD for which information on the sex of the sex partner is reported, a growing body of evidence indicates that MSM are experiencing similar increases in gonorrhea and chlamydia infections– underscoring the need to further understand what is contributing to the rise.
“Gay and bisexual men face a combination of social, epidemiologic, and individual risk factors that can fuel high levels of STDs," the report states. "Higher prevalence of infection within sexual networks increases the likelihood of acquiring an STD with each sexual encounter. Additionally, barriers to receiving STD services such as lack of access to quality health care, homophobia, or stigma may all contribute to greater risk for this population.”
Overall, the state of the country’s sexual health continues to be bleak.
“America’s worsening STD epidemic is a clear call for better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention. “STDs affect people in all walks of life, particularly young women and men, but these data suggest an increasing burden among gay and bisexual men.”
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