The highest ever number of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases were recorded last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to their data, there were 2 million overall infections.
- The overwhelming amount of these (1.6 million) were chlamydia, and 800,000 of those were in young women.
- Spyhilis rates grew 18% overall, with a 36% increase in women becoming infected and a 28% increase in babies born with syphilis. Many of the babies die shortly after birth or have a range of problems like enlarged liver, nervous system defects, blindness or deafness, seizures or developmental delays.
- Gonorrhea also experienced a 22% increase for men. Gonorrhea is especially concerning to experts because it’s becoming resistant to the only two antibiotics used to treat it. Unless something changes or a new method is found for treatment, gonorrhea could soon be the latest STD to become incurable.
These are shockingly high statistics. The United States has the highest STD rates of any Western industrialized country in the world. The infection rates are increasing across the board, with all populations and demographics. But sadly, there are disporportionaly impacted communities. Southern States have taken the brunt of the rate explosion. Young People between the ages of 15-24 are the biggest newly infected demographic. Men who have sex with men have the highest risk to contract syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV.
Experts are struggling to explain these skyrocketing statistics, and come up with a plan to stop them. They’ve laid out the three biggest causes, and their solutions.
- Cuts to Public Health Funding. Public health in the U.S. is historically underfunded. There are 50,000 fewer health jobs since 2008, and many government-run STD clinics have reduced their hours or shut down. Private Testing Center strives to reverse this trend with STD education campaigns and over 1200 affordable, convenient, and painless STD testing facilities nationwide.
- Lack of Fear. Public Schools in the 90’s bombarded students with a hard-hitting HIV/AIDs prevention campaign. “Silence = Death” was the tagline. There were photos of funerals and people mourning. If you don’t use a condom, you were basically signing your own death warrant from AIDs. But nowadays, HIV is manageable via medication, and many other STDs are cureable with antibiotics. “It’s harder to put the fear of God in young people now that drugs can allow you to have unprotected sex and not pass on HIV, or if you do get it just take a pill every day and live a mostly normal life.” Says Josh Bloom of the American Council on Science and Health. But even though it might seem like it, STDs are not to be trifled with. Undiagnosed, many can cause serious health issues or even death. You need to be tested regularly and have honest conversations with your partners.
- The Rise of Dating Apps and Anonymous Hookups. Dating apps like Tinder and Grindr have made sex more readily available then at any other time in human history. As one young man explained it, “You could talk to two or three girls at a bar, or you can swipe a couple hundred girls a day on Tinder. If you set up two or three Tinder dates a week and sleep with most of them, that’s 100 girls you can sleep with in a year!” But having sex with more people increases the chance of infection to an STD. And worse still, if you do become infected, it’s nearly impossible to track down all your past partners from the app and warn them to get tested. To help combat the risks associated with online dating, talk to your partners about their sexual health history before you become intimate, and use protection every time you have sex.
Private Testing Center offers affordable and convenient testing, in a constant effort to prevent the spread of Herpes, HIV and other STDs.Our primary goal is to to educate people about the risks associated with unprotected sexual activity and also the importance routine screenings play in prevention and treatment of Herpes, HIV and STDs.
All of our testing is performed through the blood and urine. No pelvic exams, painful swabs or embarrassing visual exams are necessary, as blood and urine testing is the most accurate.
Our counselors are the most knowledgeable, honest and ethical in the industry. Feel confident knowing that you can speak freely to our counselors about any situation or issue. You will never be judged by anyone at Private Testing Center. We will always make sure the right testing is being done at the right time. With Private Testing Center, you can feel confident knowing that your test results will not only be fast, but accurate as well.