The rapid rise of sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S. has left health officials concerned enough to call for new prevention measures, it was revealed on Monday. According to The Associated Press, syphilis infections alone reached the highest they have been since 1991 following an increase of 26% last year, while HIV cases are closely trailing behind with 16%.
Amid growing concerns about the spread of monkeypox, which is mostly transmitted by men who have sex with other men, Dr. Leandro Mena, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Division of STD Prevention, stressed it was time the country began working on better treatment efforts to control the alarming rates in which Americans are being infected with STDs.
NY Post headline: “STD epidemic in US is ‘out of control’ warn experts, CDC.”
So sleeping around is a bad thing, you say?
True marriage remains undefeated.
— When We Understand the Text (@WWUTTguy) September 20, 2022
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The rate of infection cases has been the highest among gay and bisexual men — predominantly Black, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans — the report added, while health officials further acknowledge that even with the STD rate in women being lower than in men, it still saw a 50% surge in 2021. Condom use has also been declining, while congenital syphilis, which occurs when a mother passes the disease to her baby during pregnancy, has gone from 300 cases a decade ago to 2,700 last year, with 211 of those causing stillbirths or infant deaths, Mena revealed.
David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, has described the situation as “out of control,” with officials now hoping to roll out a plan that would allow more people to get themselves tested with home kits. This would simplify the situation by allowing the person to remain anonymous and not have to visit a clinic while also giving them a faster response to their test results.
How do I stay safe from syphilis?
•The only way to completely avoid STDs is total abstinence from sex. If you are sexually active, you are advised to:
•Stick to one partner who has been tested and does not have syphilis.
•Visit the laboratory regularly for proper checkups.— Jenericmedics (@jenericmedics) September 20, 2022
So, what exactly caused the spike in STD cases last year? It seems as if the Covid-19 pandemic may have been somewhat at fault, with most people emerging from their homes again once lockdown measures were beginning to ease out. Drugs and alcohol use could also have played a factor in the skyrocketing numbers, with condom use continuing to be diminished by “liberated” Americans.
Mena became the director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention last year and has made it his mission to not only reduce the stigma around sexually transmitted diseases but also broaden screening and treatment services that would make the process of getting tested as easy as a woman taking a pregnancy test. “I envision one day where getting tested (for STDs) can be as simple and as affordable as doing a home pregnancy test,” he said.