Washington, D.C. – Earlier this week, health officials in Dallas confirmed that a local resident contracted the Zika virus after having sex with a partner infected with the virus while traveling in Venezuela.  The Zika virus, most often transmitted by mosquitos, is being increasingly reported across countries in the Americas, and approximately 30 people have tested positive for the Zika virus in the United States.  Recent evidence suggests a possible association from the Zika virus with birth defects in infants born to mothers infected with this virus.  While we do not want to downplay the public health threat of the spread of Zika virus and possible implications of infection for individuals and especially pregnant women, we have several current and pressing STD epidemics in this country that have reached the point of real crisis that need nationwide attention: rates for the three most commonly reportable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) all increased in 2014, the first time since 2006.

We should not need one confirmed sexually transmitted case of a virus which is rare in the United States to bring home a message about the risks of an infection with possible side effects for pregnant women and their pregnancies. Our current congenital syphilis epidemic — which can cause birth defects, including stillbirth in many cases — is occurring around the country at rates not seen in 15 years.  As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last year, congenital syphilis increased by 38 percent between 2012 and 2014, and the rate for 2014 is the highest rate seen since 2001. Congenital syphilis may lead to serious health problems including premature birth, stillbirth, and in some cases, death shortly after birth.  Untreated infants who survive will often develop problems in multiple organs, including the brain, eyes, ears, heart, skin, teeth, and bones.

While studies have not yet been performed to determine whether condoms provide definite protection against this virus, when used consistently and correctly, condoms can reduce the sexual transmission of other viruses, and their use was also urged to prevent sexual transmission of Ebola.  Condoms remain our most important tool in preventing STDs and this is fully evident in the CDC’s updated travel guidance related to the Zika virus released yesterday.  This guidance stated that male partners of pregnant women who have traveled to or who live in an area with active Zika virus transmission should “use condoms the right way every time they have vaginal, anal, and oral sex for the duration of the pregnancy.”

But not just in the face of these rarer infections, we need a renewed national discussion about the centrality of condoms in protecting American’s sexual health.  We have approximately 19 million new STD infections in this country each year and the numbers are continuing to increase at an alarming rate.  These diseases have significant impacts on the health of Americans, like pregnancy complications, increased HIV acquisition, and damage to reproductive organs, and they are taxing the resources of the country’s public health infrastructure in ways that should give real cause for concern.  So while we need to monitor sexual transmission of the Zika virus and other future infections that may appear, untreated syphilis in pregnant women results in infant death in up to 40 percent of cases and last year over 450 newborns were born with severe health implications from a congenital syphilis epidemic that we already have in this country.

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The National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) is a partnership of public health professionals dedicated to promoting sexual health through the prevention of STDs. NCSD provides dynamic leadership that strengthens STD Programs by advocating for effective policies, strategies, and sufficient resources by increasing awareness of the medical and social impacts of STDs.  For more information, visit www.NCSDDC.org.