CDC: STD rates skyrocket in 2017
UPDATE 8/29/2015 4:15 p.m.: New numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show skyrocketing STD rates. It’s something local health professionals are seeing also.
For the fourth year in a row, rates for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis have gone up. Nearly 2.3 million cases were reported in 2017. That is 200,000 more cases from the previous record set in 2016.
“After decades of decline in STDs, in recent years we have been sliding backwards,” said Dr. Gail Bolan, CDC’s Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention.
It’s something Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties are seeing as well.
Monterey County reported 2,133 cases of Chlamydia in 2017, up from 1,812 the year before. Gonorrhea also went up from 344 to 413 between 2016 and 2017. Syphilis was up from 44 in 2016 to 70 in 2017. The county also reported higher HIV numbers.
In Santa Cruz County, Chlamydia rose 46-percent among residents from 2010-2017 with women under 25 being affected the most. Gonorrhea was up 570-percent in that same timeframe, with gay and bisexual men being most at risk. Syphilis cases have risen 469-percent from 2010-2017 with gay and bisexual men being most at risk, however they are seeing an increase in cases among transgendered women.
Medical professionals don’t know what’s behind the increase. Some possibilities include more people getting tested and more people using apps to hook up. According to CNN, some worry the opioid epidemic could be a factor, with more men and women trading sex for drugs.
The Monterey County Health Department has a free condom dispenser at its office and works with its partner agencies to make condoms available to others to prevent the spread.
They also recommend people get tested at least once a year.
“If people are going to be sexually active, they should be using a condom and using a condom correctly,” said Monterey County Health Officer Dr. Edward Moreno. “We also know that these diseases sometimes have symptoms and sometimes they don’t have symptoms. So what people should know is that if you’re at a higher risk for getting a sexually transmitted infection, that the recommendation now is to get tested for sexually transmitted infection every year.”
Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis are all treatable diseases. However, many cases go undiagnosed, so they go untreated. That can lead to infertility, stillbirth and increased HIV risk. Heart and nervous system issues are also concerns for patients.
According to the National Coalition of STD Directors, this is a public health crisis. Health experts are now asking the federal government
ORIGINAL POST: Rates of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia have climbed for the fourth consecutive year in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week.
Last year, nearly 2.3 million US cases of these sexually transmitted diseases were diagnosed, according to preliminary data.
That’s the highest number ever reported nationwide, breaking the record set in 2016 by more than 200,000 cases, according to the CDC.
Health officials tell KION STD rates are on the rise here on the Central Coast as well.
KION’s Mariana Hicks will have more on what’s behind these numbers at 5 and 6 p.m.
