New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention add to previously published reports indicating that the spread of gonorrhea, syphilis, and congenital syphilis actually increased in the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only that, but the jump seen in 2020 continued into the first part of 2021 compared with previous years. Gonorrhea cases grew by 10% between 2019 and 2020, while primary and secondary syphilis cases were up 7%. Worse, congenital syphilis increased by 15% from 2019, but going back to 2016 cases have skyrocketed by 235%. The data show a decrease in incidence of chlamydia, but the CDC warns that this is likely due to lower rates of screening and underdiagnosis. If you’d like a refresher on the finer points of treating patients with syphilis, read Syphilis in the Urgent Care Center in the JUCM archive.
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If You’re Not Seeing More Patients with STDs Already, You Probably Will