STI Rates In US Show Signs Of Downturn, According To CDC

The New York Times (11/12, Mandavilli) reports that “after decades of unrelenting increases, rates of sexually transmitted infections in the United States are showing hints of a downturn.” According to data (PDF) released by the CDC, “diagnoses of gonorrhea dipped in nearly all age groups last year, compared with 2022, and new cases of syphilis and chlamydia remained about the same.” Still, “more than 2.4 million new S.T.I.s were diagnosed last year, about a million more than the figure 20 years ago.” However, “experts said they were cautiously optimistic that a resurgent tide of infections was beginning to turn.” The AP (11/12, Stobbe) also reports that “last year, cases of the most infectious stages of syphilis fell 10% from the year before.” Meanwhile, “gonorrhea cases dropped 7%, marking a second straight year of decline and bringing the number below what it was in 2019.” Several experts say one contributor to the decrease is the growing use of the antibiotic doxycycline as a “morning-after pill.” In addition, “some experts believe that the 2022 mpox outbreak...may have had a lingering effect on sexual behavior in 2023.” Finally, “another factor may have been an increase in the number of health workers testing people for infections, doing contact tracing and connecting people to treatment” after “Congress gave $1.2 billion to expand the workforce over five years.” Also reporting is Reuters (11/12, Sunny).