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. presumably had an STI in 2018, while there were 26 million new cases in the same year. These new cases also incurred billions in direct medical costs.
In recent years, there has been a steady increase in reported STIs in the US wash nearly 2.5 million confirmed cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – the highest combined number of all three ever reported in a year. Most sexually transmitted diseases tend not to be reported, often because they cause no visible symptoms at first or because people are reluctant or unable to test.
This new CDC report has been tried to set off these hidden matters, while the financial toll caused by STIs in 2018. It seemed in eight common STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, herpes simplex virus type 2 (the most common cause of geneItal herpes), human papillomavirus (HPV) and trichomoniasis.
It is estimated that nearly 68 million Americans – about one in five – had chronic or acute SOA in 2018, with 98% of these infections being caused by chlamydia, trichomoniasis, genital herpes or HPV. Chlamydia, trichomoniasis, genital herpes and HPV were also responsible for approximately 93% of the 26 million STI cases estimated to occur in 2018. AThese new infections have led to direct medical costs of about $ 16 billion, although this is probably an underestimation of their true price tag.
“The total cost of sexually transmitted diseases is much higher than the medical burden estimated in this study, which does not include costs associated with lost productivity, other non-medical costs and prevention of STIs,” the report’s authors said. writing.
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STIs caused by bacteria or parasites can be easily treated once they have been diagnosed, although cases of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is now becoming a real concern. The viral hepatitis B and HPV can be almost completely prevented with effective vaccination for children. And the risk of catching sexually transmitted diseases can be significantly reduced by condom use and other safesex practices, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV. In other words, the tools to reduce the burden of sexually transmitted diseases are there.
There have been many reasons in recent years why STIs are climbing, and it probably has nothing to do with it younger people having more sex (the opposite may be sincere, actually). The renewal of sexual abstinence programs during the Trump administration and reduced access to good sexual health care and testing are likely to be more concrete factors.
As this report only covers 2018, it is an open question whether the pandemic has reduced the incidence of STIs since 2020, as for other infections such as influenza. It is possible rates of STIs could jump as soon as people can visit freely again. But in any case, practicing safe sex and testing regularly if you are sexually active, especially with multiple partners, will remain the best ways to avoid sexually transmitted diseases in the foreseeable future.