The syphilis infection rate has hit its highest point since the 1950s. A new CDC report revealed a 78% surge in cases between 2017 and 2022, the latest year for which data is currently available. The number of infections exceeded 207,000 in 2022, which was 17% spike over 2021. Syphilis is less common but more dangerous than Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, two other widespread sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the US. If not treated, syphilis can cause hearing loss, paralysis, dementia and death. The rate of new chlamydia infections, which make up roughly 2 in 3 STI cases in the US, was essentially unchanged over the previous 5 years. The CDC report contained some good news. The rate of new gonorrhea infections dropped by 9% between 2021 and 2022, the first decline in cases in more than 10 years.
Full Story: Associated Press, CNN
