Health: STD cases are still on the rise in the United States despite the epidemic

U.S. officials warned Tuesday that cases of many sexually transmitted diseases will continue to rise in the United States by 2020, during the Govt-19 epidemic.

Jonathan Mermin, author of the report for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says the Covit-19 crisis underscores an upward trend that has already been seen for a decade, in the context of declining public funding.

The incidence of gonorrhea and syphilis (primary and secondary) cases increased by 10% and 7% respectively compared to 2019. The incidence of syphilis in newborns, also known as congenital syphilis (contamination during pregnancy), has also increased: an increase of 15% compared to 2019. And 235% since 2016.

Chlamydia cases have decreased by 13% compared to 2019, but according to experts, these data do not show a real decline, the disease is mostly asymptomatic and diagnosed during regular screening – a sharp decline in the onset of infections. . A total of 2.4 million new cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported in 2020.

Covit-19 occurred at a “critical time for screening for sexually transmitted infections” (STIs), Jonathan Mermin explained at a news conference. “We already have a troubled and struggling public health infrastructure. Many neighborhoods in the United States do not have specialized STI clinics. This has already exacerbated upward trends.”

He stressed that the effects of congenital syphilis are very serious. They include miscarriages, stillbirths and lifelong physical and mental problems. Cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) initially decreased during the early months of 2020 when lockdowns were in effect, but then rose sharply.

Factors that played into the early fall in the number of reported cases were the fall in health counseling and hence screenings, but also the lack of staff or expertise to specialize in STDs to manage infection.

Half of 16- to 24-year-olds have STD cases. Minorities (blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans) are affected proportionately. A further 42% of cases of primary and secondary syphilis were found in homosexuals or bisexual men.

Public funding for local clinics dedicated to these issues has been declining for years. The most affected states, like Mississippi, are the least economically developed.