Sexually transmitted infections remains a major headache for Americans and their wallets, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one in five Americans in the U.S. is believed to have an STD in 2018, while there were an estimated 26 million new cases in the same year. These new cases have also generated billions in direct medical costs.
In recent years, there has been a steady annual increase in reported STDs in the USA. In 2018, They were nearly 2.5 million confirmed cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – the highest combined number of all three ever reported in one year. Most STDs tend to go unreported, often because they do not cause any visible symptoms at first or because people are reluctant or unable to get tested.
This new CDC report tried to to explain these hidden cases, while also calculating the financial toll caused by STDs in 2018. It seemed in eight common STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, herpes simplex virus type 2 (the most common cause ofthisal herpes), human papillomavirus (HPV) and trichomoniasis.
It is estimated that almost 68 million Americans – about one in five – have a chronic or acute STD in 2018, with 98% of these infections caused by chlamydia, trichomoniasis, genital herpes or HPV. Chlamydia, trichomoniasis, genital herpes and HPV were also responsible for about 93% of the estimated 26 million STD cases that occurred in 2018. TheTogether, these new infections have led to direct lifelong medical costs of around $ 16 billion, although this is likely to be an underestimate of their true price tag.
“The total cost of STDs far exceeds the medical cost burden estimated in this study, which does not include the costs associated with lost productivity, other non-medical costs and STD prevention,” wrote the report’s authors.
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STDs caused by bacteria or parasites remain easily treatable once diagnosed, although cases of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea are now becoming a real concern. The viral hepatitis B and HPV are almost entirely preventable with an effective childhood vaccine. And the risk of contracting STDs can be significantly reduced through the use of condoms and othersexual practices, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV. In other words, the tools to reduce the burden of STIs are there.
There are many reasons why STDs are increasing in recent years and it probably has nothing to do with younger people having more sex (The opposite May be true, actually). The renovation of sex education programs for abstinence only during the Trump administration and reduced access to good sexual health care and testing are more concrete factors.
As this report covers only until 2018, it is an open question whether the pandemic has reduced the incidence of STDs since 2020, as has happened with other infections like the flu. It is possible that STD rates could jump when people can socialize freely again. But in any case, practicing safe sex and getting tested routinely if you are sexually active, especially with multiple partners, will remain the best ways to prevent STDs in the near future.