via BlackDoctor:
When it comes to ranking, you usually want your hometown city, state, or country to be first, right? Well, not this time. According to new data, the United States is experiencing a “steep and sustained” spike in sexually transmitted diseases.
Cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia all increased in 2017, making it the fourth straight year in which STD infections continued to expand.
The United States continues to have the highest STD rates in the industrialized world,” said David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors. “We are in the midst of an absolute STD public health crisis in this country. It’s a crisis that has been in the making for years.”
More than 4 percent of gonorrhea samples now are resistant to azithromycin (Zithromax), one of two antibiotics now used to cure the bacterial infection, the CDC says. That’s up from 1 percent in 2013.
“The finding adds to the complexities of gonorrhea treatment,” said Dr. Gail Bolan, director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “Our nation must plan for the future. Our nation urgently needs additional treatment options for gonorrhea.”
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