In 2020, COVID-19 was not the only virus spreading around. According to newly published data, STD rates surged toward the end of that dreadful year.
According to data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, sexually transmitted diseases decreased in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic but spiked at the tail-end of the year. Per the 2020 STD Surveillance Report, gonorrhea cases had increased by 10% by the end of the year, while syphilis rates, both primary and secondary, had jumped by 7%. The terms “primary” and “secondary” refer to the stages of syphilis infection. The study shows that chlamydia rates fell 13% from 2019 to 2020, though researchers believe this figure is actually misrepresented. They do not think that cases actually dropped, but rather a reduction in health care did not offer proper screening for the infections that often have no symptoms.
Researchers attributed the rise in STD cases to changes in sexual behavior due to shelter-in-place orders and increased access to healthcare as stay-at-home orders were lifted. The CDC report also revealed that over half of STDs reported in 2020 were people ages 15 to 24. Non-Hispanic Black persons accounted for more than 3 out of 10 occurrences of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis.
The federal government is looking to combat these statistics by enacting a five-year plan and $200 million investment in public health infrastructure. Researchers hope that the initiative will help to avoid disrupting STD/STI care in the event of another lockdown.
