Pandemic Didn’t Slow the Spread of Some STDs

April 13, 2022

The number of cases of some sexually transmitted diseases continued to increase during 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, while overall STD cases dropped, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new report.

Reports of gonorrhea, syphilis, and congenital syphilis rose in 2020 compared to 2019, the CDC said. However, reports of chlamydia dropped compared to 2019, as did the total number of STD cases. Overall, the U.S. had about 2.4 million STD cases in 2020, down from the 2.6 million cases in 2019, the CDC said.

The report said overall STD case numbers may have dropped for several reasons related to COVID-19: stay-at-home orders, increased unemployment that caused people to lose health insurance, and increased use of telemedicine in which no lab tests were taken.

“COVID-19 continues to impact our healthcare system and STD program resources,” the report said. “It is unclear how the pandemic will affect future STD surveillance data. However, there is no reason to believe we will be back to ‘business as usual’ with STD case reporting anytime soon.”

The drop in reported chlamydia cases may have occurred because COVID put such a strain on health care systems, not because infections actually dropped, the report said.

“Many jurisdictions reported critical effects on staffing and testing and treatment supplies, straining an already crumbling public health infrastructure,” the report said. “COVID-19 significantly affected STD surveillance and prevention efforts, and these challenges are reflected in this new report.”

The CDC reported the following case numbers:

• 1,579,885 cases of chlamydia were reported in 2020, down 13% from the previous year.

• 688,769 cases of gonorrhea were reported in 2020, a decrease of 10% over the previous year.

• 133,945 cases of all stages of syphilis were reported during 2020, a 7% increase over the previous year.

• 2,148 cases of congenital syphilis were reported in 2020, an increase of about 15% over the previous year and a 235% increase since 2016.

The CDC said the congenital syphilis increase was especially alarming because the illness can cause lifelong problems in children and is easily preventable with screening. Congenital syphilis occurs much more often in minority communities than white communities, underscoring how STDs affect minorities disproportionately.

“This … highlights the nation’s failure to provide sufficient, quality sexual health care for everyone who needs it,” Leandro Mena, MD, director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, said during a media telebriefing Tuesday, according to ABC News.