If you needed a reason to get tested, make it this one—Rates of STDs rose to record highs in the U.S. in 2015, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Three STDS in particular have been spreading through the population at an alarming rate. Chlamydia, gonnorrhea and syphilis have all seen major increases, The Washington Post reports.
Last year, chlamydia cases rose 6 percent, gonnorrhea cases rose 13 percent and syphilis cases rose 19 percent, the CDC announced in their annual report, released Wednesday. While all of these STDs can be cured by antibiotics, gonnorrhea is becoming increasingly resistant to treatment. What might account for this scary rise in infections? The CDC thinks it’s because clinics that test for and treat STDs keep closing due to lack of funds. In the last year, more than 20 health department STD clinics have closed.
Young people like us need to be especially vigilant about STDs—CNN reports that people 15-24 years old made up almost two thirds of chlamydia cases and half of gonorrhea cases. The good news? It’s not difficult to be safe with a little planning. Make sure to always have condoms around, get tested regularly for STDs, and ask new sexual partners if they’ve been tested. FYI, just because you don’t have any symptoms doesn’t mean you’re STD-free.
Remember that most STDs are treatable, and getting one is NOT the end of the world—it doesn’t mean you’re gross, dirty or too promiscuous. Still, they’re unpleasant and can cause problems without treatment, so it’s important to do what you can to prevent yourself and your partners from contracting them.
For its part, CDC officials believe that health care providers should make STD screening a part of standard health care procedures, especially in pregnant women (who can pass STDs on to their babies if they don’t get treated). The World Health Organization has also warned that using antibiotics as a form of treatment for STDs is going to cause more problems in the long run, causing antibiotic resistant strains of common STDs as we’ve begun to see in gonorrhea cases, according to Glamour. The most important takeaway: Safe sex is more fun for everyone involved, so go grab some of those free condoms from the health center! And it probably wouldn’t hurt to badger your elected officials about funding STD screening clinics.