Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Associated Press
Published on 2024-01-30 19:00:05
The U.S. syphilis epidemic continues to be a concern as the rate of infectious cases rose 9% in 2022, according to a report on sexually transmitted diseases in adults released by the federal government. In a surprising turn of events, the rate of new gonorrhea cases fell for the first time in a decade. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that it is unclear why syphilis rose while gonorrhea dropped, and it is too soon to know if a new downward trend is emerging for the latter.
Syphilis, less common but more dangerous than gonorrhea or chlamydia, has seen a significant increase, with total cases surpassing 207,000 in 2022, the highest count in the United States since 1950. While historically impacting gay and bisexual men, syphilis is increasingly affecting heterosexual men and women, as well as newborns. It is a bacterial disease known to have severe consequences if left untreated.
Data shows that syphilis infections declined in the U.S. starting in the 1940s with the widespread availability of antibiotics, reaching their lowest point in 1998. However, a worrying 59,000 of the 2022 cases involved the most infectious forms of syphilis, with a significant number affecting women and heterosexual men. Experts believe that syphilis is unknowingly being spread in the cisgender heterosexual population because there is a lack of testing.
The report also looked at the more common STDs of chlamydia and gonorrhea. Chlamydia cases remained relatively flat from 2021 to 2022, while there was a decline in gonorrhea rates, particularly among women in their early 20s. Experts are uncertain about the reasons behind the decline in gonorrhea rates, and they believe that the disruption in STD testing during the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role.
Despite the decline in gonorrhea rates, it remains higher now than it was pre-pandemic. The CDC has convened a syphilis task force to focus on stopping the spread of the STD. Experts believe that further examination is needed to understand the underlying reasons for the changes in STD rates and whether they will continue to happen.
