Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reached a record high in 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday, with 2.3 million diagnosed cases.
The rapid rise may be in part due to a decrease in condom use and mutating strains of infections that resist antibiotics. "We have seen steep and sustained increases over the last five years,” Gail Bolan, director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention, told NBC News. "Usually there are ebbs and flows, but this sustained increase is very concerning."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influenceSpeed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
MAHA moms: the cohort of women backing RFK Jr.'s health agendaThe Explainer America's head health honcho has a flock of supporters spreading the MAHA message on social media
-
The banned pesticide poisoning Caribbean paradiseUnder the radar Martinique and Guadeloupe have been rocked by soaring cancer rates amid other diagnoses
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreadsSpeed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozensSpeed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
-
Bird flu: The viral threat pushing up egg pricesFeature
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study findsSpeed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
