According to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, STD rates have reached staggering, record highs two years in a row. The number of STD cases have increased dramatically over the past four years with cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis going even higher.
Experts say the headline isn’t about scaring people but making them think before getting sexually involved with someone. Dr. Adeeti-Gupta is a New York board-certified ob-gyn who said the findings is creating cause for alarm for people’s health. According to Dr. Gupta, the problem should be considered a public crisis especially in a time where treatments are so readily available.
Why are there so many STD cases these days? And, how can one protect themselves from getting an STD?
For the last four years, the amount of the big three – syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia – have been steadily increasing in the U.S., hitting a record high in 2016. However, the latest CDC information shows that 2017 had a record number of STD cases. Just last year alone, there were 2.3 million new cases of the above-mentioned diseases (or about 200,000 more than 2016).
Since 2013, there has been a 67 percent increase in gonorrhea cases and a 76 percent increase in the number of syphilis cases. This is what health officials are so worried about.
According to an NPR report, the U.S. appears to have the highest sexually transmitted disease rates of all developed nations.
On top of the rise in STDs is the emergence of antibiotic-resistant STDs also known as superbugs. According to doctors, there are several drugs that can treat syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea but there are also strains of drug-resistant syphilis and gonorrhea.
Simply put, the possibility of untreatable STDs is close at hand. In a press release, Dr. Gail Bolanwith the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention said gonorrhea is likely to wear down the last effective antibiotic the world currently has. She said this is not the time to let down defenses and reinforce efforts to quickly detect and treat the condition.
Written by Mark Riegel, MD
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