WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNN) – For the fourth year in a row, rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia have gone up in the U.S., according to the CDC.
Nearly 2.3 million cases of these sexually transmitted diseases were reported in the U.S., topping the previous record high set in 2016, by more than 200,000 cases.
So now, health experts are asking the government to authorize emergency access to public health funding so they can combat the crisis.
All three of these diseases are treatable. But if left untreated, women could suffer permanent damage to the reproductive system, and men to the prostate. Heart and nervous system issues are also concerns for patients.
Experts worry the opioid epidemic could be a major factor in the increase with more men and women trading sex for drugs. That would explain why more babies are being born with congenital syphilis.
Experts are focusing on education as the best method towards prevention as well as utilizing testing and available treatment services.
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