CBS NEWS – Syphilis rates surged by an alarming degree in 2021 amid an overall increase in cases of sexually transmitted infections
There was a 32% increase in combined stages of syphilis between 2020 and 2021, the CDC said.
Cases of congenital syphilis, which happens when a mother with syphilis passes the infection on to her baby during pregnancy, also rose by 32%. The spike resulted in 220 stillbirths and infant deaths.
The agency expressed concern that screening for the infections continued to be impacted by COVID-related disruptions in the second year of the pandemic, especially for chlamydia, which is often asymptomatic.
Chlamydia rates rose nearly 4%. Chlamydia, the most prevalent STI, accounted for 1.6 million of the more than 2.5 million reported cases in 2021.
Gonorrhea rates increased more than 4%, with more than 710,000 cases reported in 2021 …
