By Mariam Sunny

Nov. 12 – The number of sexually transmitted infections in the United States in 2023 decreased by almost 2% from the previous year, a sign that the epidemic may be slowing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

More than 2.4 million STIs were reported last year, up from more than 2.5 million in 2022, with nearly half occurring in adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24, report says of the agency.

The findings provide a “ray of hope” that “the tide is turning” after nearly two decades of rising STI rates, said Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for Disease Prevention. HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs and tuberculosis, in a press release.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a decline in STI rates, and I’m encouraged by that, but there’s still a long way to go to… fully address the STI epidemic,” she said. said Laura Bachmann of the CDC’s Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Communicable diseases and prevention.

Chlamydia was the most common nationally notifiable STI in the United States in 2023, with more than 1.6 million cases. This rate was similar to the previous year, but was 6.2% lower than the 2018 chlamydia incidence.

Gonorrhea cases fell 7.7% between 2022 and 2023 and fell below pre-pandemic levels.

The most contagious stages of syphilis, called primary and secondary syphilis, declined by 10.7% in 2023, marking the first substantial decline since 2001, the report said.

The increase in neonatal syphilis, passed from mother to child during pregnancy, appears to be slowing in some areas, the CDC said. The number of cases increased by 3% in 2023, compared to a 30% annual increase in previous years.

Yet in 2023, there will be more than 1 million more STIs than in 2003, and nearly 4,000 babies will be born with syphilis, the CDC said.

Data collection during the pandemic has been difficult and potentially less reliable than usual, the CDC said.

Stigma is one of the main barriers to combating the STI epidemic, potentially affecting individuals’ willingness to get tested and providers’ willingness to inquire about their sexual history, Bachmann said.

The epidemic disproportionately affects Native American, African American and Hispanic communities, as well as gay and bisexual men, the report said.

The agency said these improvements follow advances in STI prevention, including the use of antibiotics to prevent certain bacterial STIs and the authorization of at-home tests to detect infection.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August approved the first at-home, over-the-counter test to detect syphilis antibodies in human blood, developed by private company NOWDiagnostics.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modification to the text.