Jim Liebelt Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

CDC Reports Alarming Increase in Sexually Transmitted Diseases

*The following is excerpted from an online article from USA Today.

Sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis increased dramatically in 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2014, 1.4 million cases of chlamydia were reported, accounting for the highest "number of annual cases of any condition ever reported to the CDC," according to the report.

The CDC estimates that nearly 20 million new STD infections happen each year in the U.S., with the majority affecting 15 to 24-year-olds.

Reports of gonorrhea and syphilis also increased in 2014. There was a 2.8% increase in chlamydia since 2013, and reports of syphilis, which has three stages, increased for the most infectious stages of the disease by 15.1%.

There was a particularly "troubling" increase in syphilis infections among men, according to the report.

"While rates have increased among both men and women, men account for more than 90 percent of all primary and secondary syphilis cases," according to the report.

Gay and bisexual men are most at risk for syphilis infections, according to the report. Men who reported that they had sex with other men accounted for 83% of male cases where the partner’s sex was reported.

The CDC report noted that STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea many times have no symptoms, so testing is key to a diagnosis. According to the report, "undiagnosed STDs cause more than 20,000 women to become infertile each year."

Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/11/18/cdc-alarming-increase-stds/75978596/