While the world was contending with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, sexually transmitted diseases were causing their own brand of stateside chaos, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency in a news release Tuesday released new data showing that despite the decrease in reported sexually transmitted diseases early in 2020, “most resurged by the end of that year” in the U.S., with reports of gonorrhea, syphilis and congenital syphilis exceeding those of the prior year. Meanwhile, reports of chlamydia decreased by 13%.
Reports of gonorrhea increased by 10% in 2020 while those of primary and secondary syphilis saw a 7% increase, compared to the year prior, according to the CDC. The syphilis uptick was also seen among newborns, known as congenital syphilis, with reports up by close to 15%. That syphilis uptick also bled into last year, according to early data.
