The number of gonorrhea cases fell 7% between 2022 and 2023, with prevalence dropping below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Overall syphilis cases increased 1% — after years of double-digit growth — and primary and secondary syphilis cases declined 10%. Among gay and bisexual men, syphilis cases fell 13%.
Increases in congenital syphilis cases also appear to be slowing. While previous years saw 30% annual increases, 2022 recorded only a 3% rise.
The findings are encouraging, but STIs remain at unacceptably high levels, the CDC said.
“I see a glimmer of hope amidst millions of STIs,” Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said in a news release. “After nearly two decades of STI increases, the tide is turning. We must make the most of this moment — let’s further this momentum with creative innovation and further investment in STI prevention.”
