STDs Are on Rise. Here’s What to Know About Testing and Prevention Dani Blum - The New York Times
go to original April 18, 2022

Lowering Your Risk for Sexually Transmitted Infections (Michigan Medicine)

Rates of many sexually transmitted infections continued to climb during the first year of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement posted to its website. While overall there were 2.4 million infections recorded in 2020, down from a record high of 2.6 million in 2019, diagnosed cases of certain sexually transmitted diseases surged.

Cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs in newborns who contract the disease from their mothers, reached the highest numbers in 26 years, rising by 235 percent since 2016. Rates of primary and secondary syphilis rose by 7 percent from 2019 to 2020; gonorrhea cases rose by 10 percent in the same time period.

People ages 15 to 24 contracted about half of the reported 2020 infections. Racial and ethnic minority groups, and gay and bisexual men, also experienced disproportionately higher rates of disease.

The C.D.C. data also showed that rates of chlamydia declined by 13 percent, although the agency cautioned that many cases of the disease are asymptomatic and that reductions in routine screening during the pandemic likely contributed to that decrease.

“This is the latest evidence of an ignored epidemic in America,” said David C. Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of S.T.D. Directors. “The numbers are down slightly because of pandemic disruptions to testing and care, make no mistake about it. These cases are out of control.”

Rates of sexually transmitted infections have risen significantly over the last decade. Infections spiked during the pandemic because of a dearth of accessible screening, test kit and lab shortages, and clinic closures, said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director for the National Center for H.I.V., Viral Hepatitis, S.T.D., and T.B. Prevention.

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