U.S. STD Rates Hit Another High

New CDC Data Highlights Human Cost of STD Funding Failures 

For Immediate Release: April 12, 2022 
Contact: Kathleen Jeanty, [email protected], 617-610-5424 
 
Washington, D.C. — After viewing the 2020 STD surveillance data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) – again – is deeply troubled by the amount of ground lost in the fight against STDs. The data shows another sharp uptick in syphilis and gonorrhea cases and detection gaps for chlamydia, all made worse by the pandemic.  

“This affirms once again that America isn’t taking the STD crisis seriously,” said David C. Harvey, executive director of NCSD. “We can only fight this out-of-control epidemic with new funding and the kind of urgency that reflects the enormity of this crisis.”  

NCSD has been tracking the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and calling attention to the negative impact on the fight against STDs. STDs were increasing in the years before the pandemic but Covid-19-related interruptions to STD testing and healthcare access undercut the essential infrastructure states and communities use to fight STDs. In addition, these dualling crises intensified pre-existing health disparities. The data shows people of color, men who have sex with men, and young people continue to be more deeply impacted by the STD crisis, and a dramatic climb in congenital syphilis illustrates the intersection between the STD crisis and the nation’s maternal health disparities.  

“When STDs continue to spread this rapidly, we leave a lot of people at risk – especially our most vulnerable people – and the current funding levels aren’t enough to protect them,” adds Harvey. “I cannot imagine seeing a 235% increase in babies born with congenital syphilis over the past five years and not having the federal government put a stop to it.”  

NCSD released a statement earlier this month calling out President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget for only providing flat funding that fails to address the upward trending STDs. The statement also expressed dismay at the CDC’s failure to advocate for much needed funding. The statement calls on Congress to budget $279 million for STD prevention and $200 million to launch the first-ever dedicated STD clinic pilot program. 

“We can absolutely change the trajectory of the STD crisis,” said Harvey, “but we can’t win the fight against STDs unless Congress and the Biden administration recognize the gravity of this epidemic.”  

2020 STD Surveillance Data