American STD Rates Study Says STDs Are At A Record High

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Talking about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) still feels pretty taboo in our society, but it’s time that we start openly discussing them because they pose a serious threat to the well-being of our nation. For the fourth year in a row, STD rates hit an all-time high in the United States, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 2017 alone, 2.3 million cases of STDs — chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis specifically — were diagnosed in the U.S. That’s 200,000 more cases than 2016 and the highest number of cases that the U.S. has seen in two decades.

Of all STDs, chlamydia is the most common in America, and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 have the highest risk among all demographics for contracting the infection, according to the CDC. In 2017, 45 percent of all chlamydia cases in the U.S. were diagnosed among this group of women. This commonality is likely because chlamydia gravitates toward a type of cell that sits outside young women’s cervixes.

The scary thing about chlamydia is that it doesn’t always present itself with noticeable symptoms and, if left untreated, it can spread to the rest of your body, causing long-term health problems. The good news is that if it’s caught early enough, it’s usually easily treatable. That’s why it’s so crucial to go to your gynecologist for your annual checkup.

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Syphilis rates have also been rising dramatically among the U.S. population. Since 2013, diagnosis rates for this STD have increased by 76 percent. Dr. Gail Bolan, the director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, told Time in an interview that part of the problem lies in the fact that many people don’t think to get screened for syphilis because they don’t believe that this STD affects their demographic or people with their sexual preference. This mindset often prevents people from noticing the infection early on and getting the proper treatment. But remember: No one is immune.

Rates of gonorrhea, which also tends to disproportionately affect young people between the ages of 15 and 24, have increased by 67 percent since 2013. And according to Dr. Bolan, some strains of this disease are becoming antibiotic-resistant. We’re now down to the last effective antibiotic currently known for treating antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhea, Bolan told Time.

These worrisome findings make it clear that every single sexually active person (no matter your age or gender) should get tested for STDs every year and use condoms with every new sexual partner who hasn’t been screened yet. Dr. Bolan says that it’s also crucial that doctors find better screening and treatment practices for STDs for their patients, developing more rigorous screening methods than simple urine tests.

If you think you might be in danger of contracting an STD, don’t panic. But do see your doctor and get tested right away.

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