Cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States surged during a pandemic

Tuesday, April 12, 2022 (HealthDay News)-also as COVID-19 Pandemic Isolate people at home, Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) cases have increased nationwide.

Cases decreased early in the pandemic, but infection increased again by the end of 2020. Gonorrhea, syphilis Congenital syphilis is above 2019 levels, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Report..

“STDs have probably increased for the seventh consecutive year,” said Dr. Leandromena, director of the CDC’s STD Prevention Division.

“These increases are rooted in reduced public health funding and are impacting the health sector’s ability to provide screening, treatment, prevention and partner services,” he added.

Increased drug use, which makes access to services difficult in relation to social practices and socio-economic conditions, is also having an impact, Mena said.

The new 2020 STD Monitoring Report, released on April 12, found that at the end of 2020:

• Case Gonorrhea And primary and secondary syphilis Compared to 2019, it increased by 10% and 7%, respectively.
• Called syphilis in newborns Congenital syphilisAlso, it increased by about 15% from 2019 and 235% from 2016. Cases of primary and secondary syphilis and congenital syphilis continued to increase in 2021.
• Case Chlamydia It decreased by 13% from 2019.

Chlamydia It accounts for the largest proportion of reported sexually transmitted diseases. Researchers believe that the reduction in reported cases is due to a reduction in screening and underdiagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases during pandemics, not a true reduction in new infections. The reported reduction in chlamydia infections contributed to the reduction in the number of reported sexually transmitted diseases in 2020-from 2.5 million in 2019 to 2.4 million in 2020.

Researchers have listed several factors that will contribute to the reduction of sexually transmitted diseases in the first half of 2020.

• There is little screening.
• Public health workers have stopped working on COVID-19.
• Lack of STD testing and lab supplies.
• Expiration of health insurance due to unemployment.
• The proliferation of telemedicine has reduced the frequency of screenings and prevented some infections from being reported.

The CDC reports that gay and bisexual men and teens had the highest incidence of new STIs.

“More than 50% of all sexually transmitted diseases have been reported among people under the age of 24,” Mena said.

Fighting rising sexually transmitted diseases requires efforts by several groups, including the local health department, he said.

“Community-based organizations are in a unique position to respond to emerging sexually transmitted disease trends and can play a key role in enabling individuals to prioritize sexual health,” Mena said. I am saying. “Healthcare providers can play a role in eliminating stigma by integrating sexually transmitted disease prevention and social health into their daily work and creating a comfortable environment for all.”

According to Mena, the most important step people can take is to take an annual test for STDs, especially if you are a sexually active teen or have dangerous sex with multiple partners. is.

Dr. David Rosenthal, Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV Center, Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Great Neck, New York, said his practice is familiar with the rise in sexually transmitted diseases.

“No doubt we see a clinical increase in all of them,” he said. “After passing through 2020 or mid-2021, at least in my experience, clinical increases have begun to appear.”

More people are coming in for STD testing, Rosenthal said.

“It is important to continue what we can do to proactively identify new sexually transmitted diseases and to be able to identify them before they infect others, and to prevent and prevent sexually transmitted diseases as much as possible. is. HIV Communication “.

The best way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases is to use the barrier method- condom Or female condoms are the most effective, Rosenthal said.

“The second part is that we really need to routineize testing of individuals, especially adolescents, to ensure screening for sexually transmitted diseases,” he said.

For more information

For more information on sexually transmitted diseases, please visit the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.