Category Archives: STIs

‘Glimmer of hope’ as STI rates slow, syphilis decreases among gay men

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From the Advocate online…

Despite the number of sexually transmitted infection (STI) cases remaining high, new data from the CDC found that the epidemic may be slowing down, particularly among gay men.

There were more than 2.4 million reported cases of STIs in 2023, according to the organization’s annual Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance. While the number may seem daunting, the rates of infections overall are going down — gonorrhea cases declined 7 percent from 2022, dropping for the second year in a row as well as falling below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels from 2019.

Primary and secondary syphilis cases also fell 10 percent, which the CDC noted marks “the first substantial decline in more than two decades.” These stages of syphilis, which are the most infectious, also dropped 13 percent among gay and bisexual men for the first time since the CDC began tracking the group in the mid-2000s.

Read the full article.

Government steps in to stop ongoing syphilis spike

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M4M has been reporting on the constant uptick in syphilis cases in the U.S., especially amont gay and bi men. There are a lot of reasons why, but the bottom line is that, if you’re sexually active, you need to get tested–even if you don’t have symptoms. If you need to find a place to get tested, go to https://gettested.cdc.gov/ and search by zip code. Most places are free.

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From HIV Plus Magazine online (originally from CNN)…

More than 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in the United States in 2022 as the country’s epidemic of sexually transmitted infections continues to grow.

Chlamydia accounted for about two-thirds of the STIs that were reported in 2022, according to an annual report published Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But while chlamydia cases held steady and reported cases of gonorrhea decreased in 2022, syphilis cases continued to climb to the highest level in decades, with a 17% percent jump in one year.

“Within the STI epidemic, syphilis is one infection that stands alone,” Dr. Laura Bachmann, acting director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, said in a statement. “It has emerged as a unique public health challenge.”

Read the full article on HIVplusMag.com.

U.S. health officials to endorse common antibiotic as ‘morning-after pill’ to combat STIs

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From PBS.org…

U.S. health officials plan to endorse a common antibiotic as a morning-after pill that gay and bisexual men can use to try to avoid some increasingly common sexually transmitted diseases.

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The proposed CDC guideline was released Monday, and officials will move to finalize it after a 45-day public comment period. With STD rates rising to record levels, “more tools are desperately needed,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The proposal comes after studies found some people who took the antibiotic doxycycline within three days of unprotected sex were far less likely to get chlamydia, syphilis or gonorrhea compared with people who did not take the pills after sex.

Read the full article on PBS.org.

After-sex pill could reduce STIs

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From CNN.com and HIVplusmagazine.com…

As rates of sexually transmitted infections continue to skyrocket across the United States, a growing number of physicians are prescribing a commonly used antibiotic as a way to prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis infections in gay and bisexual men and transgender women.

Doxycycline is a class of medications traditionally used to treat bacterial STIs after someone has been infected. Yet recent research suggests that one 200mg dose of the drug can be effective in preventing such infections among men who have sex with men if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex.

This approach, called doxyPEP, has garnered so much attention that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to post draft guidance for public comment in the next several weeks on how health care workers may deploy the preventative treatment, such as how many pills should go into a prescription or which people could benefit most from the drug.

Go to HIVplusmagazine.com for the full article.