Change Is Afoot

More than Autumnal Change is in the Air

The Alarming Uptick Announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

By D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.

Executive Director

The Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture

Years ago, a friend of ours was employed in the State of New York. One of his duties was to ring doorbells and knock on doors -- in order to inform the appropriate occupant that he or she needed to be tested for a sexually transmitted disease because a partner had tested positive for at least one. It was not a job for the weak of heart.

The CDC regularly publishes data collected from the United States. In the table at the right, a few data points have been chosen for reports of syphilis (all cases); congenital syphilis; chlamydia; and gonorrhea. Note: chlamydia has been required reporting by the 50 states and the District of Columbia only since 2000 (more details on reporting are here).

Another way of looking at the data: on the left are data from 2001.

The graph on the right is the latest data collection -- from 2016

The CDC reports increases for the previous three years in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Additionally, susceptibility to the consequences of STDs varies among demographic groups:

1) Chlamydia :

Young women (ages 15-24) account for nearly half (46 percent) of reported cases . . .

Untreated STDs, like chlamydia and gonorrhea, put women at increased risk for pelvic

inflammatory disease which may result in chronic pelvic pain, infertility, and potentially a

life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. It is estimated that undiagnosed STDs cause

infertility in more than 20,000 women each year.

2) Syphilis :

-- Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM)* accounted for 81 percent

(16,155) of male cases where the sex of the sex partner is known in 2016 and over half

of primary and secondary syphilis cases overall.. . .

-- Increasing rates of syphilis among women has led to a sharp rise in congenital syphilis

– which occurs when syphilis passes from mother to baby during pregnancy. More than

600 cases of congenital syphilis were reported in 2016, which resulted in a number of

deaths and severe health complications among newborns.

Who is warning the at-risk groups?

According to the CDC , "More than half of state and local STD program budgets have been cut in recent years – resulting in staff layoffs, reduced clinic hours, and increased patient co-pays that can limit access to essential diagnosis and treatment services."

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