New STD Cases Are at a Record High in the United States
This week, it was reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that there are over two million people that are newly infected with various STDs. These STDs include chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea. With the CDC’s report released this past Tuesday (Sept. 26), this new data is proof that the STDs reported are the highest number accounted for to date in the United States.
Director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, Dr. Gail Bolan, told CNN, “Clearly we need to reverse this disturbing trend. The CDC cannot do this alone and we need every community in America to be aware that this risk is out there and help educate their citizens on how to avoid it.”
According to the CDC’s agency’s annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report, last year saw over 1.6 million new cases of chlamydia, 470,000 new cases of gonorrhea, and close to 28,000 new cases of both primary and secondary syphilis. Of note, all of these STDs are curable with a round of antibiotics. Unfortunately, a lot of people who incur STDs go about their lives undiagnosed, and thus, untreated.
CNN reports that the CDC estimates that more than 20 million new cases of STDs occur in the US every year. Half of those new cases are said to occur in people between the ages of 15 and 24.
“STDs are out of control with enormous health implications for Americans,” David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors said. “If not treated, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis can have serious consequences, such as infertility, neurological issues, and an increased risk for HIV.”
In 2014, the CDC reported that the estimated diagnosis rate for HIV cases among black people in the US was 49.4 per 100,000 population. They are estimated to account for 45% of the total 222,185 people believed to be diagnosed with the HIV infection.
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