STDs Are ‘Out of Control’ With Syphilis Cases Up 26% Last Year, Experts Say
An ongoing rise of STDs in the United States is prompting concern from sexual health experts.
COVID-19 significantly impacted STD surveillance, prevention, and treatment efforts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Syphilis cases in particular are growing at an alarming rate, up 26% last year.
After being cooped up at home for a year-plus due to the pandemic, people’s ability to live at least semi-freely again has contributed to a spike in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that were already on the rise, sexual health experts say. On Monday, at a medical conference on STDs, David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, called the spike “out of control,” according to the Associated Press.
Experts said a rise in syphilis is particularly concerning, as a 26% increase was reported last year with a total of 171,074 cases, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For context, a total of 101,590 were reported in 2017. Cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs in babies delivered by people with the disease, were up to nearly 2,700 last year compared to 941 in 2017.
Syphilis is an infection that presents as genital sores, and comes with other symptoms depending on its stage (primary, secondary, latent, or tertiary), per the CDC. It can lead to serious complications and even death if gone untreated. In the early 2000s, the CDC developed a National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis, but efforts were cut short due to funding scarcities.
Syphilis rates are highest in men who have sex with men, and among minority groups such as Black and Hispanic Americans and Native Americans. Those among women are lower, but experts at Monday’s conference said even those were up by about 50% last year.
And syphilis isn’t the only STD picking up steam—experts said gonorrhea and HIV cases are on the rise, and the growing spread of monkeypox presents additional concern.
The CDC points out that the lockdowns of 2020 “significantly affected STD surveillance and prevention efforts,” contributing to the overall STD spike that shows “no signs of slowing.” Delayed diagnosis and treatment likely also contributed to the spread.
At Monday’s conference, experts discussed new approaches to addressing the problem, including increased condom use, access to at-home testing kits, and proposals for up to $500 million in government funding for STD clinics.
“It is imperative that we ... work to rebuild, innovate, and expand (STD) prevention in the U.S.,” said Leandro Mena, the CDC’s director of STD prevention. “I envision one day where getting tested can be as simple and as affordable as doing a home pregnancy test.”
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