Cases of 3 STDs reach all-time high in the US

Anuja Vaidya -

Cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2018, according to a new CDC report.

The CDC's Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report includes the most recent data on sexually transmitted diseases.

From 2017 to 2018, there were 2.45 million combined cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia in the country. Individually:

• There were more than 115,000 syphilis cases, of which the number of primary and secondary syphilis cases increased 14 percent to more than 35,000 cases, the highest number reported since 1991.
• Gonorrhea cases increased 5 percent to more than 580,000 cases, also the highest number reported since 1991.
• Chlamydia increased 3 percent to more than 1.7 million cases, the highest number ever reported to the CDC.

There was also a 40 percent increase in congenital syphilis cases among newborns, with more than 1,300 cases reported. Congenital syphilis can cause severe complications and even death.

The CDC attributed the overall rise in STDs to several factors, including drug use, poverty and unstable housing as well as budget cuts to STD programs at the state and local level.

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