CDC Study: Syphilis, Chlamydia Rates Jump
by AFA Journal
January 11, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A recent report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that syphilis rates in the country rose for the fourth consecutive year. The rise was due primarily to the increase in risky sexual behavior among homosexually active men.
"Syphilis has increased 8 percent during 2003-2004," said Dr. John M. Douglas, director of the CDC division for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). "The overall increase is attributable to men who have sex with men."
The CDC stated that 64 percent of all adult cases of primary and secondary syphilis were among homosexually active men -- a huge jump from the 5 percent of cases represented by that category in 1999.
Chlamydia, an STD which is linked to cervical cancer, also increased last year -- up about 6 percent. While the CDC had reports of nearly 930,000 cases of chlamydia in 2004, public health experts with the agency estimate as many as 2.8 million new cases each year.
Gonorrhea rates reached their lowest level in the U.S. since the government began tracking the disease in 1941. However, that good news was tempered by the fact that, in 28 cities, a CDC survey found an increase in cases of gonorrhea that were resistant to antibiotics.
Once again, the homosexual community experienced the worst of the news: The incidence of drug-resistant gonorrhea was eight times higher among homosexual men than for heterosexuals.
These STDs -- and others such as AIDS, genital herpes and human papilloma virus (HPV) -- are more than simply a public health issue. The CDC press report noted: "CDC estimates that 19 million STD infections, including HIV and other non-notifiable STDs, occur each year. In addition to their immediate and long-term health consequences, these diseases result in direct medical costs of an estimated $13 billion annually."
This article, reprinted with permission, appeared in the January 2006 issue of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.
