CDC reports steady increase in STDs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported last week a sustained increase in sexually transmitted diseases and urged health care providers to help reverse the trend by making STD screening and timely treatment a standard part of medical care.

Nearly 2.3 million STD cases were diagnosed in 2017, a record-breaking number that surpasses the previous record in 2016 by more than 200,000 cases.

Jonathan Mermin, M.S., M.P.H., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said, “We are sliding backward. It is evident the systems that identify, treat and ultimately prevent STDs are strained to near-breaking point.”

Comparing data from 2013 to preliminary data for 2017, there is a steep and sustained increase in reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Experts warned that gonorrhea is showing signs of becoming resistant to the antibiotics used to treat it and that additional treatment options are needed. Education and outreach materials are available on the CDC website.