By IDSE News Staff
The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains high in the United States, with more than 2.4 million reported in 2023. However, the CDC says the epidemic may be slowing, according to new data.
In 2023, the agency said cases of gonorrhea have dropped for the second year, a decline of 7% from 2022, which is below levels before COVID-19 (2019).
Syphilis cases have also decreased by 1% after years of double-digit increases. Primary and secondary syphilis cases fell 10%—the first substantial decline in more than two decades. These cases also dropped 13% among men who have sex with men (MSM) for the first time since the CDC began reporting national trends among this population in the mid-2000s.
Increases in congenital syphilis also appear to be slowing in some areas, with a 3% increase over 2022 nationally compared with 30% annual increases in prior years.
However, inequities persist, the agency said, including among American Indian and Alaska Natives, Blacks, Hispanics, and MSM. These health equity differences are due in part to deeply entrenched factors, such as poverty, lack of or insufficient health insurance coverage, access to healthcare, and stigma, which create obstacles to quality health services.
The new data follow important developments and innovations in STI prevention, such as the CDC’s guidelines for doxy PEP to prevent bacterial STIs; newly FDA-cleared self-tests for syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia; and a nationally coordinated response to the U.S. syphilis epidemic spearheaded by the National Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Syndemic Task Force.
However, the agency said more efforts are needed to turn around the STI epidemic in this country, including:
- prioritizing the STI epidemic at federal, state and local levels;
- developing new prevention, testing and treatment solutions for more populations, including expanding the reach of doxy PEP among groups for whom it is recommended, and conducting more research to determine whether it can benefit other groups;
- investing in robust public health systems and trained workforces with capacity to provide STI services;
- delivering STI testing and treatment in additional outreach settings like emergency departments; and
- making STI services more accessible in local communities.
“I see a glimmer of hope amidst millions of STIs,” said Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, the director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention. “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.”
