A decisive moment for the nation

These are findings as reported by the most recent STD surveillance report prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As per the annual report made public on Wednesday, the chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis rates indicated an increase between 2014 and 2015. These three are the most common STDs the nation contends with.

For primary and secondary syphilis, the report cases shoot up by 19 percent from 2014. Gonorrhea indicated an increase of 12.8 percent while Chlamydia had a rise of 5.9 percent. The CDC said that despite all these three STDs being curable by antibiotics; most infections are not diagnosed or treated because of poor STD tests participation.

The director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Dr. Jonathan Mermin, said that we as a nation are at a decisive moment. The rates of STDs are going up while the system that is supposed to prevent the STDs is eroded. "We must mobilize, rebuild and expand services -- or the human and economic burden will continue to grow."

The report took into consideration syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia data as provided by the state and local case reports. These kinds of reports are usually actively maintained by the Federal health officials. They are provided by both public and private sources.

The herpes simplex virus and trichomoniasis data was not included in the report such data lacks a routine schedule for tracking it. Also, HIV was not included in the report despite being an STD that is actively tracked.

Who faces the highest risk?

The report cases for Chlamydia last year were about 1.5 million. Chlamydia is disease that attacks a woman’s reproductive system, making it impossible for her to get pregnant if it is not treated. About two-thirds of those infected with it last year were mostly young people of 15 to 24 years old. This same group was responsible for half of gonorrhea cases.

In 2015, the report cases for gonorrhea were 395,216 as the disease gets passively tricky when it comes to treating it. CDC scientists had on July warned that Neisseria gonorrhea, a bacterium that causes gonorrhea, had started to become resistant to antibiotics.

Largely new cases of the gonorrhea reported last year were accounted for by men who have sex with men. Similarly, the resistance to the antibiotics was found to be higher in this group.

In general, the young, gay and bisexual are more vulnerable to any given STD. Past reports have estimated that many of the previously reported cases are of young people aged 15 to 24 years.

Hope for the future

The director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, Dr. Gail Bolan, said that "The health outcomes of syphilis -- miscarriage, stillbirth, blindness or stroke -- can be devastating.” But while commenting on the report, he said that 21 STD clinics all over the country have had to shut down as their budget is cut. This makes it difficult for people to gain access to testing and treatment.

To make sure that the rising cases are curbed, Bolan recommended the improvement of surveillance systems that collect new STD data and regular STD tests. He also recommended that newly diagnosed patients should get immediate access to medication.

 

Contributor: admin