A report from CNN states that sexually transmitted diseases have been on the rise for the past five years in the United States. CNN looked to discover why the disease rates have increased and in an interview with Elizabeth Torrone, a CDC epidemiologist, Torrone expressed that just last year, there were 2.4 million infections, the most cases ever recorded in the United States. So, what has led to the increase in STD rates? CNN reports it is due to an increase of people getting tested and a change in sexual behavior like the declining use of condoms. Also, CNN reported that the National Coalition of STD Directors said that inclines in STD rates are also due to the lack of federal, state, and local funding.
The rise in sexually transmitted diseases has also given rise to antibiotic-resistant organisms. In particular, drug-resistant gonorrhea seems to be the most alarming cases according to Dr. Mark Mulligan, chief of infectious diseases at NYU Langone Health. CNN interviewed Dr. Mulligan and he expressed that gonorrhea could potentially become untreatable due to its high resistance. The CDC reports that gonorrhea is not resistant to only one class of antibiotics and it spreads easily as the disease is often asymptomatic. If gonorrhea goes untreated, this can lead to serious repercussions like ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and cardiovascular or neurological problems. The CDC is working to combat and prevent antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea by increasing investigations of gonorrhea cases, searching for different ways to fund nucleic acid amplification tests, and inform local and state health departments to more rapidly respond to resistance.
In my opinion, I think this goes back to education. In my previous post I explained that I was never taught that vaccinations were vital for the immunocompromised until taking Microbiology and the same goes for STDs. I believe that educating more individuals about the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and teaching preventive actions like monogamy, abstinence, and the use of condoms is imperative to stop the cases from increasing. When I first learned about gonorrhea, I was shocked that it often goes undetected because individuals do not often show symptoms. I think this shows that regular screening is also important and offering regular screening to those who cannot afford it would also be helpful at preventing these diseases.
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