CDC 2012 STD data: Syphilis in MSM; Gonorrhea and chlamydia in young people
Men who have sex with men and Americans between the ages of 15 and 24 are the two demographic groups that stand out in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) annual report, Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2012 released Tuesday.
Treponema pallidum
Image/CDC
The report notes that there has been a “troubling rise” in syphilis in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM).
MSM account for three quarters (75 percent) of all the 15,667 primary and secondary syphilis cases reported in 2012. In fact, the rate per 100,000 people (5.0) is an over 11 percent increase from 2011, attributed solely among men, particularly gay and bisexual men, the federal health agency notes.
The CDC report also discusses the correlation between syphilis and HIV infection. “Syphilis infection can also place a person at increased risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection. Surveillance data from several major cities throughout the country indicate that an average of four in 10 MSM with syphilis are also infected with HIV .”
Gonorrhea and chlamydia in people ages 15-24 were also highlighted in the report.
People in this age group accounted for 58 percent of the 334,826 gonorrhea cases reported in 2012, while this same age group accounted for nearly seven out of 10 of the 1,422,976 chlamydia cases reported.
The rate of new gonorrhea cases rose 4 percent in 2012 as compared to 2011 while the chlamydia rate remained stable.
The CDC also talks of the economic burden caused by STD’s, saying it the nation almost $16 billion in health care costs every year.
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