The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new surveillance data today. There were 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in the United States in 2022. Rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia remain high, and rates of syphilis have gone up an alarming 80% since 2018.

In 2022 there were:

• 1.6 million cases of chlamydia, which is a 6.2% decrease since 2018
• 648,056 cases of gonorrhea, which is an 11% increase since 2018
• 207,255 cases of syphilis, which is an 80% increase since 2018
• 3,755 congenital syphilis cases, which is an 183% increase since 2018

As always, the number of cases reported to the CDC is likely lower than the actual number of infections. Many STIs have no symptoms. A person could easily not know they were infected—and even STIs without symptoms can lead to long-term health issues like infertility. This is why regular testing is so important.

Health disparities—the impact isn’t equal and young people are heavily affected

While anyone who is sexually active can get an STI, the data show that some groups are more affected. This includes young people (ages 15 to 24), gay and bisexual men, pregnant people, and some racial and ethnic minority groups.

It is important to understand that these disparities are not explained by behavior. Instead, they reflect other inequities in our society such as poverty and a lack of access to quality health care.