THURSDAY, June 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Many sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in the United States, and a national survey suggests that ignorance about how they are transmitted may be fueling their spread.
About a third of Americans (34%) falsely believe that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can only be transmitted through sexual intercourse, survey results show. In fact, they can also be transmitted through kissing, sharing needles, and during childbirth.
It also found that 1 in 5 Americans (20%) think they only need to get tested for STIs if they are experiencing symptoms.
“We are likely to continue to experience some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, when STI prevention services were completely shut down,” said researcher Dr. Jose Bazan, a professor of clinical internal medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Ohio State University, in a news release.
Syphilis cases have increased by 80 percent over a five-year period, the researchers said in background notes.
Worse yet, cases of congenital syphilis, in which women pass the bacteria to their babies during pregnancy, rose 180 percent between 2018 and 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
During the pandemic, “many STIs went undiagnosed and underreported, allowing these infections to spread throughout the population,” Bazán said.
“It is important for pregnant people to be tested for syphilis, as it is a very preventable infection that can be easily treated with antibiotics. Unfortunately, the growing number of cases tells us that we are not reaching populations in time vulnerable,” he continued.
The most effective way to prevent an STI is to use a condom and discuss testing with a doctor or sexual partner, Stacey Biffle-Quimba, a family nurse practitioner who is the sexual health and women’s health program manager at Columbus Public Health Hospital in Ohio, said in a news release.
“Part of having a safe and healthy relationship with your partner is being able to have those conversations and say, ‘When was the last time you got tested? What’s your status?'” Biffle-Quimba said. “Preventing transmission to a partner is really important because that partner can have other partners and that’s where it can become an epidemic.”
HPV and hepatitis A/B vaccines are also important, along with HIV medications that keep virus levels low enough to prevent transmission, experts said.
In another step toward stopping STIs, the CDC recently finalized new guidelines for the use of the antibiotic pill doxycycline after a potentially risky encounter.
Doxycycline can be “taken within 72 hours of a sexual encounter in the hopes that it can prevent them from contracting an STI like chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis,” Bazan said.
People should also keep in mind that infections such as HPV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV can go undetected for long periods without any significant symptoms, eventually resulting in serious health problems, experts said.
“Doctors should normalize talking about sexual health with their patients. We should feel as comfortable talking about sexual health issues as we do about blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes,” Bazán said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a three-step program to prevent STDs: talk, test, and treat.
Home testing kits are available for different STIs, including HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, experts said. However, knowing your personal results is only one step in the process.
“While these tests are convenient and private, it is important to discuss the results with a doctor to determine if repeat STI testing or treatment is needed,” Bazan said. “Having these conversations in a safe, non-judgmental way is a critical tool to help us combat the STI epidemic.”
The survey was conducted in English, online and by telephone between April 5 and 7 among 1,005 people.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers more information on sexually transmitted infections.
SOURCE: Ohio State University, press release, June 25, 2024
