In 2018, rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States increased for the fifth year in a row, and combined cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia reached a record high, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released today showed. The number of primary and secondary syphilis cases—the disease's most infectious stages—increased 14 percent from 2017 to 2018, to more than 35,000 cases, the highest number reported since 1991. Gonorrhea and chlamydia cases are also on the rise, with a 5 and 3 percent increase, respectively, since 2017.
The past year has also seen a 40 percent rise in congenital syphilis, the type passed from mothers to their babies. Congenital syphilis can cause neurological problems, deformity, and death, and in 2018, 94 babies died from the disease. Five states—Texas, California, Florida, Arizona, and Louisiana—accounted for 70 percent of congenital-syphilis cases.
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