What are the most common sexually transmitted diseases?
Three most common sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise as U.S. cases rise amid public health funding cuts and clinic closures
The incidence of sexually transmitted infections increases sharply in certain age groups, but you may be surprised to know which ones.
CDC’s Latest statistics Studies of sexually transmitted infections in the United States show that chlamydia, hepatitis C, and syphilis are diseases that are infecting Americans over age 55 at alarming rates. The statistics, which run through 2022, show how rates of sexually transmitted infections have skyrocketed since 2000.
In 2022, there were 5,160 reported cases of primary and secondary syphilis in adults aged 55 and older, up from 3,092 in 2020. In 2012, there were only 712 cases.
A total of 19,766 Americans over the age of 55 will be infected with chlamydia in 2022, an increase of several thousand from the 13,774 in 2020.
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In 2022, there were 5,160 cases of primary and secondary syphilis reported in adults age 55 and older, making syphilis one of the sexually transmitted infections affecting older Americans. (St. Petersburg)
The incidence of hepatitis C among people over the age of 55 has also increased sharply since 2012. In 2012, there were only 125 cases, but in 2022, 1,041 cases were reported, a slight decrease from 1,092 in 2021.
The number of gonorrhea cases in each age group reached 18,804 in 2022, compared to only 3,874 in 2012.
According to a graph published on the CDC website, the state with the highest number of HIV infections among adults 55 and older in 2021 was Florida, with 585 people infected. California followed with 453 cases, followed by Texas in third place with 358 cases.
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Some experts believe that the high rates of sexually transmitted diseases among older adults in the United States may be due to the sex education, or lack thereof, received during adolescence. (St. Petersburg)
New York, Georgia, New Jersey, and Illinois also ranked among the top states for HIV diagnoses in the same age group in 2021. Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Vermont had a total of 12 cases of 55 or more cases, while Wyoming had zero cases.
In an interview with NBC News, Texas A&M professor Matthew Lee Smith argued that sexually transmitted disease cases among older adults may be influenced by the way sex education is taught in schools.
According to the CDC, the number of gonorrhea cases among people 55 and older will reach 18,804 in 2022. (St. Petersburg)
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“In the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, traditional schools didn’t really formally teach sex education,” he explained.
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