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Love
Summer of
Rising Rates of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Post Vaccination As COVID vaccinations rise so has the desire to return to dating and intimate connections. Unfortunately, during the pandemic screening for STD's has dropped by 40%, with people feeling more comfortable being tested for COVID rather than for STD's. In addition, condom use is not popular in youth culture. As expected, the CDC has been reporting increasing rates of some sexually transmitted diseases, especially chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, with 25 million cases in 2019. Education and proper treatment are key. New CDC Guidelines for Sexually Transmitted Diseases CDC recently released the Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines 20211. This document provides current evidence-based diagnostic, management, and treatment recommendations, and serves as a source of clinical guidance for managing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Main STI Diagnostic, Treatment, and Management Updates for Providers
The new guidelines include notable updates from the previous 2015 guidance, including: • Updated treatment recommendations for chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and pelvic inflammatory disease. • Updated treatment recommendations for uncomplicated gonorrhea in neonates, children, and other specific clinical situations (e.g., proctitis, epididymitis, sexual assault), which builds on broader treatment changes published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report2. • Information on FDA-cleared diagnostic tests for Mycoplas12 | The Bulletin | Third Quarter 2021
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ma genitalium and rectal and pharyngeal chlamydia and gonorrhea. Expanded risk factors for syphilis testing among pregnant patients. Recommended two-step serologic testing for diagnosing genital herpes simplex virus. Harmonized recommendations for human papillomavirus vaccination with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Recommended universal hepatitis C testing in alignment with CDC’s 2020 hepatitis C testing recommendations3.
STD's are Common and Costly
STIs are common and costly4. With 26 million new STIs occurring each year, totaling nearly $16 billion in medical costs, evidence-based prevention, diagnostic, and treatment recommendations are critical to STI control efforts now more than ever. San Jose and Santa Clara County may not struggle with sexually transmitted diseases quite as much as other areas of California, but their rates of infection are still high and have been rising steadily over the last several years. The most common STDs in the San Jose area and Santa Clara County are chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. According to the 2019 STI surveillance rates by state5, California ranks # 15 in chlamydia with 236,719 cases (598.4 rate per 100,000 population); # 18 in gonorrhea with 80,301 cases (203.0 rate per 100,000 population) and # 4 in syphilis with 8,266 cases (20.9 rate per 100,000 population). During the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC provided guidance for www.sccma.org
