The CDC reported this week that the number of cases of three STDs increased last year for the first time since 2006, with one in particular reaching record levels, according to the agency's annual report on sexually transmitted diseases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 1.4 million reported cases of chlamydia in 2014, a 2.8-percent increase from the year before and highest number of cases of any
STD ever reported to the agency, according to HealthDay.com.
The CDC said in a released statement that primary and secondary syphilis, the most infectious stages of syphilis, and gonorrhea have both increased since 2013 as well, by 15.1 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively.
According to the CDC, there were 350,062 reported cases of gonorrhea in 2014 and 19,999 reported cases of P&S syphilis, a majority of which affected gay and bisexual men.
"America's worsening STD epidemic is a clear call for better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention," Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, said in a statement. "STDs affect people in all walks of life, particularly young women and men, but these data suggest an increasing burden among gay and bisexual men."
Health officials attribute the increase in STDs to a decrease in annual testing for young people. Many people, they said, don't even know they're infected with chlamydia or gonorrhea.
"The consequences of STDs are especially severe for young people," Dr. Gail Bolan, director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention, said in the agency's statement. "Because chlamydia and gonorrhea often have no symptoms, many infections go undiagnosed and this can lead to lifelong repercussions for a woman's reproductive health, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility."
Most of the new gonorrhea and chlamydia infections occurred in
15- to 24-year-olds, according to The Associated Press. Both diseases can usually be treated easily with antibiotics.
"To reduce STDs, Americans must take steps to protect themselves," the CDC statement concluded. "For sexually active individuals, testing and treatment according to CDC's recommendations, using condoms consistently and correctly, and limiting the number of sex partners are all effective strategies for reducing the risk of infection and consequences to health."
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