Syphilis Rates Rose 80% since 2018
Syphilis cases in the US have reached the highest number of reported cases since 1950.
Yes, since 1950. Fear not! Let’s talk about this data point (since every other news outlet is fear-mongering🙄), how it impacts our past and present, and what we can do to reduce cases.
Most of the findings and data points from this post arise from the hot-off-the-press @cdcgov 2022 STI Surveillance Report. The report reviews data from reportable STIs (chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea).
I’ve seen increasing numbers of news articles —even last year— talking about the rising cases of syphilis. Despite its popularity in the news, I feel like syphilis can be a forgotten STI.
Syphilis is a bacterial STI with four stages: 1) Primary, 2) Secondary, 3) Latent, and 4) Tertiary. Each stage has its own set of symptoms. If left untreated, it can lead to severe impacts to the brain and nervous system, eyes, and/or ears. I don’t say this to scare you, but to note the importance of why sexual self-care and communication is SO important.
If you don’t fall into a high-risk group or do not have syphilis-like symptoms, you probably haven’t been tested. Ask your provider for more information on this.
So why is syphilis seemingly skyrocketing? A few schools of thought:
📝 Lack of funding for STI reduction and prevention following COVID-19
🧪Increasing cases of pregnant people with syphilis leading to congenital syphilis
📝Barriers to adequate healthcare resources (including language and stigma)
We are ALL impacted, but some populations are more at-risk than others. Notably, men who have sex with men (this group made up 45.1% of all male primary and secondary infections) and women (19.2% increase). Unsurprisingly, there were increases in most racial/Hispanic ethnic groups. (CDC, 2024).
So what can we do? Instead of worrying, we can take action in our lives, as well as support and advocate for those around us. This not only includes our sexual health, but also learning the history of syphilis in the US (see: Tuskegee Study) and how this still impacts US healthcare today.