Washington, United States

The National Coalition of STD Directors claims that the US is facing a "out-of-control" outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases.

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an annual statistics report on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in January, which coincided with the warning. The opening sentence of the web notification expresses the frustration of public health professionals.

"Yet again," the CDC website claimed, "more than 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in the United States."

Chlamydia, which has held the top rank for several years, was the most prevalent STI in the United States in 2022. But the thing that worries health experts the most is the recent increase in syphilis cases.

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According to CDC data, syphilis cases of all stages have increased by 80 percent in the past five years. Data from the CDC show that during the previous five years, cases of syphilis at all stages had grown by 80%.

While STIs are typically associated with adults, newborns might also be at risk from syphilis. Congenital syphilis is the term used to describe syphilis that a child receives from the mother during pregnancy or birth. Over 3,700 of these instances were formally documented in the US in 2022. That represents a 937 percent rise in only ten years.

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The health of infants across the country is at risk due to the alarming reality that cases of early-stage syphilis are rising at a rate of about 10% annually. Congenital syphilis cases in the United States have risen by 31% in a single year. 

Tragically, 282 stillbirths and infant deaths in 2022 were caused by these infections, according to Laura Bachmann, the director of the CDC's STD prevention division. Experts believe that timely syphilis testing and treatment during pregnancy may have avoided 88% of these occurrences.

The National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSDDC) issued a statement warning that "the CDC's latest STI data shows that our nation is facing a rapidly deteriorating public health crisis with real lives at stake."

"STIs – especially syphilis – will continue to spiral out of control until the administration and Congress provide communities with the funding they need to provide the most basic screening, treatment, and prevention services," NCSDDC added.

(With inputs from agencies)