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   From: reparations@naacp.org   
      
   By Julie Washington, The Plain Dealer jwashington@plaind.com   
   CLEVELAND, Ohio --The highest number ever of some sexually   
   transmitted diseases were reported in the United States in 2016,   
   according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   
      
   That included more than 2 million new cases of chlamydia,   
   gonorrhea and syphilis, according to a recent CDC report. STDs   
   are rapidly growing among women, infants and gay and bisexual   
   men.   
      
   The increase is a serious threat because sexually transmitted   
   diseases (STDs) can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancy,   
   stillbirth and increased risk for HIV transmission if left   
   untreated, the agency warned.   
      
   "STDs are a persistent enemy, growing in number and outpacing   
   our ability to respond," Dr. Jonathan Mermin of the CDC said in   
   an emailed statement. Mermin is director of the CDC's National   
   Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.   
      
   The majority of new STD cases last year were chlamydia, with 1.6   
   million diagnoses. The CDC also reported nearly 500,000 cases of   
   gonorrhea and almost 28,000 cases of syphilis. All three of   
   these diseases respond to antibiotics, but there is a growing   
   threat of drug-resistance gonorrhea.   
      
   The focus on HIV education in recent years may have allowed   
   people to forget about other STDs, said Dr. Amy Edwards, an   
   infectious disease physician at University Hospitals Rainbow   
   Babies and Children's Hospital.   
      
   "People are so focused on HIV, they are not thinking about old-   
   fashioned STDs," Edwards said.   
      
   She also thinks that the trend of young women using long-term   
   birth control might also be a contributing factor. Young women   
   and teens using an IUD or other form of long-term birth control   
   might think it protects them from disease. Since these women   
   don't need a prescription for birth control refilled, there   
   might be years between their ob/gyn visits.   
      
   The CDC also reported a 28 percent increase in syphilis among   
   newborns - also called congenital syphilis. The 600 cases of   
   congenital syphilis resulted in 40 deaths and health   
   complications that could have been prevented through screenings   
   and treatment for pregnant women.   
      
   "It's really unfortunate that (congenital syphilis) is on the   
   rise," Edwards said. "It is devastating to newborn babies."   
      
   While a pregnant woman's first doctor visit usually includes STD   
   testing, many poor and young women don't get prenatal care.   
   Women who refuse the standard STD screening during delivery miss   
   another chance for the disease to be found.   
      
   A lack of health insurance and the decreasing number of clinics   
   also contributes to the problem of women who lack prenatal care.   
   "It's a mess and the rise in congenital syphilis is the   
   consequence," she said.   
      
   Here are some other numbers from the CDC report:   
      
   Syphilis increased by nearly 18 percent from 2015 to 2016, with   
   most cases affecting gay and bisexual men, and men who have sex   
   with men. There was also a 36 person increase in women   
   contracting syphilis.   
   While gonorrhea increased among men and women, men had the   
   greatest increase at 22 percent.   
   Men who have sex with men (MSM) make up most of the syphilis   
   cases, and half of the MSM diagnosed with syphilis also had HIV.   
   This shows the need to combine STD and HIV health services, the   
   CDC said.   
   According to the LGBT Wiki webpage, MSM refers to men who engage   
   in sex with other men, regardless of whether they identify   
   themselves as gay, bisexual or heterosexual.   
      
   State and local health departments are on the front lines of the   
   fight to reverse the rise in STDs, the CDC said. Efforts to   
   decrease the spread of STDS includes the need for rapid   
   diagnosis and treatment, standard screenings for pregnant women,   
   and services for MSM and those living with HIV services.   
      
   "It's about education and making condoms available," Edwards   
   said, adding that abstinence is the only way to avoid getting an   
   STD.   
      
   STORY SUMMARY   
      
   The highest number ever of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis   
   cases were reported in the United States in 2016, according to   
   the CDC.   
      
   Chlamydia accounted for the majority of the new STD cases.   
      
   Faster diagnosis and treatment, along with making STD screening   
   a part of standard health care, are important steps for   
   reversing the increase in STDs.   
      
   http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2017/09/sexually_tr   
   ansmitted_disease_c.html   
        
      
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