New state sexually transmitted disease data show cases of syphilis, gonorrhea continued to rise during the pandemic

Tampa, Florida (WFLA) — Regarding health and infectious diseases, problems unrelated to the coronavirus are widespread in the United States. Sexually transmitted diseases, especially gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia.

new Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention All 50 states were ranked according to how common various sexually transmitted diseases or sexually transmitted diseases are in the state’s population. The data also give public health professionals new insights into what happened during the pandemic, with some STD rates declining during the first few months of 2020, but by the end of the year COVID. It indicates that you have exceeded the previous level.

The data in the main CDC report are based on the 2020 infection, but the 2021 preliminary data show that the problem has not been resolved. Health agencies said some illnesses, such as syphilis, were widespread.

In one alarming trend, the CDC said the number of cases of congenital syphilis, in which the infection was transmitted from mother to baby during pregnancy, surged 235% from 2016. According to health experts, the surge in cases is associated with mothers who have not undergone timely prenatal care or syphilis testing during a pandemic. Only 24 states reported at least one case of congenital syphilis in 2011, but by 2020 the number surged to 47.

These were the top 10 states of congenital syphilis in 2020.

Gonorrhea cases also increased by 45% from 2016 to 2020, and syphilis cases also increased by 52%.

“The reported rate of gonorrhea has increased by 111% since the historical low in 2009,” the CDC reported. “Between 2019 and 2020, the overall rate of reported gonorrhea increased by 5.7%.” They found that the number of reported cases increased primarily among men from 2009 to 2013. Said. According to the CDC, the number of cases increased in 36 states.

See the top 10 states for gonorrhea rates in 2020.

According to the CDC, chlamydia infections have fallen 1.2% to 1.6 million people across the United States since 2016, which may not reflect the actual reduction in infections.

“Chlamydia infections are usually asymptomatic, so case rates are highly dependent on screening coverage,” the report said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical clinics restricted or completely closed direct visits to symptomatic patients. STD screening is routine, including annual reproductive medical visits for young women. The number of preventive medical visits we have has decreased. “

The CDC said the report “In the face of a pandemic, it serves as a reminder that sexually transmitted diseases are still a serious public health concern.

The increase in cases of syphilis has raised concerns about the CDC, despite proven and effective methods of both treatment and prevention. In 1999, the CDC reported that it was possible to “eradicate syphilis” across the border. Report He said most of the infections at that time were in the South.

As the number of southern states in the top 10 for syphilis and congenital syphilis shows, the trends reported more than 20 years ago still apply.

After the CDC released the data on April 12, some reactions to the CDC were mixed, especially from supporters who were considering President Joe Biden’s budget plan.

The National Union of STD Directors, a national public health membership organization representing the STD Directors of the Department of Health and their staff, has specifically urged the U.S. Government to increase the CDC’s budget to help combat the spread of the disease in the report. I requested.

“This reaffirms that the United States is not taking the crisis of sexually transmitted diseases seriously.” David C. Harvey, Executive Director of NCSD, said:.. “We can only fight this uncontrollable epidemic with new funding and urgency that reflects the immenseness of this crisis.”

NCSD tracked how COVID-19 affected its ability to track diseases prevalent in the United States during a pandemic. This is also a problem that the CDC acknowledged when publishing STD monitoring data.

“In 2020, COVID-19 had a major impact on STD monitoring and prevention efforts,” said the CDC. “This report reflects the reality of a tense public health infrastructure while providing up-to-date data on cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported in the United States.”

The NCSD said the pandemic challenge led to a disruption in testing and access to health care in the community fighting sexually transmitted diseases. They said the disease had a “deep” effect on adolescents and participated in a “dramatic rise in congenital syphilis.” When the president announced his budget plan for next year, the organization said it would keep the CDC’s STD budget flat or unchanged. Doesn’t help to deal with Increasing trend of infectious diseases in the United States