STD cases soar as officials call for more prevention efforts - CBS News

Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S.

Infections rates for some STDs, including gonorrhea and syphilis, have been rising for years.

Last year the rate of syphilis cases reached its highest since 1991, and the total number of cases hit its highest since 1948.

HIV cases are also on the rise, up 16% last year.

More sexually transmitted infections occur when people are having more unprotected sex," said Dr.

New syphilis infections plummeted in the U.S.

By 2020, cases had reached nearly 41,700, and they spiked even further last year, to more than 52,000.

The rate of cases has been rising, too, hitting about 16 per 100,000 people last year.

While the rate for women is lower than it is for men, officials noted that it's has been rising more dramatically — up about 50% last year.

That ties to another problem — the rise in congenital syphilis, in which infected moms pass the virus on to their babies, potentially leading to death of the child or health problems like deafness and blindness.

Annual congenital syphilis cases numbered only about 300 a decade ago; they surged to nearly 2,700 last year.