In the Sheets Magazine

Last year, CDC Proclaims “STI Epidemic”— And We’re Still In It

By: Audrey Gibbs

In a press release from April of this year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced that America was in an ever-continuing “STI Epidemic.” Data released by the CDC a year earlier, in April 2022, suggests that STIs (sexually transmitted infections) continued to increase throughout the first year of the pandemic. 

The most up-to-date data shows that STI cases—especially syphilis—are peaking.

According to a report that analyzes data from 2020-2021, syphilis rates surged, growing an overall 32%. Congenital syphilis, meaning babies born with the infection, also grew by the alarming 32%. This resulted in 220 stillbirths and infant deaths. 

Gonorrhea rates rose more than 4%. Chlamydia rates grew nearly 4%. This is what the CDC does know, but the pandemic interrupted much of the STI screening processes. 

The CDC reports, “The 2021 data show STIs continue to disproportionately affect gay and bisexual men and younger people. Additionally, a disproportionate number of cases were diagnosed among Black/African American and American Indian/Alaska Native people, groups more likely to face social conditions that make it more difficult to stay healthy.” 

The CDC also warns that the data collected from 2020 should be interpreted cautiously due to lack of sexual health care access due to COVID-19. In other words, STIs that are often asymptomatic, like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, could have been dramatically underreported. Syphilis, which does show symptoms, is likely to have more accurate data associated with its increase. 

It will take a while before STI rates return to the level they were at prior to the pandemic. In fact, the pandemic’s effect on the healthcare system could be permanent. More telehealth visits can lead to less routine STI testing, diagnosis and reporting. 

Leandro Mena, MD, MPH, the Director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, said:

The U.S. STI epidemic shows no signs of slowing. The reasons for the ongoing increases are multifaceted – and so are the solutions. For the first time in decades, we’re seeing promising new STI interventions on the horizon, but these alone will not solve this epidemic. It will take many of us working together to effectively use new and existing tools, to increase access to quality sexual healthcare services for more people, and to encourage ongoing innovation and prioritization of STI prevention and treatment in this country.

The ongoing spike in STI cases serves as a reminder to practice safe sex, use condoms and get routinely tested.

Audrey Gibbs

Audrey Gibbs is a journalist currently based in Savannah, GA, working as a summer fellow for The Current covering investigations. She recently graduated from Columbia Journalism School in New York City, where she received her Master of Science in journalism. Prior to her time at Columbia, she studied English at Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee. Previously, Audrey has interned for Ms. magazine, where she wrote a bi-weekly column titled “Tools of the Patriarchy,” as well as American Songwriter Magazine, covering new releases in the music industry from R&B to country pop. Audrey has experience covering general news, investigations, the arts and women’s health in both print and audio forms. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, knitting and playing guitar.

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