A poster from 1930s Chicago reads: “The enemy is syphilis. Enlist employees in a campaign agai
A poster from 1930s Chicago reads: “The enemy is syphilis. Enlist employees in a campaign against it.” 2016 was a record year for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.Here are 5 possible reasons why. By Julia Belluz, Sep 27, 2017, vox.com.We don’t talk much about chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis, in part because it can seem like they’re not big health issues anymore. But it turns out more and more Americans may be quietly suffering from these once nearly eliminated STDs.According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 2 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in the United States in 2016 — the highest cumulative number ever recorded. The leap in cases in just one year is truly eye-popping. Between 2015 and 2016, the rate of: Gonorrhea increased by 18.5 percent to 468,514 cases Syphilis increased by 17.6 percent to 27,814 cases Congenital (spread from mother to infant) syphilis increased by 27.6 percent to 628 cases Chlamydia increased by 4.7 percent, to 1.59 million cases To appreciate just how astonishing the trends are, consider that as recently as a decade ago, these STDs were at historic lows or near elimination, with more and better screening and diagnostics to help identify cases and get people into treatment.Syphilis can show up on the body in sores and rashes. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can lurk with no symptoms. They’re all generally easy to cure with a timely antibiotics prescription, but when left untreated, they can lead to infertility or life-threatening health complications. That’s what makes screening and access to health care so important. Continue reading on the vox.com website. -- source link