Sexually transmitted diseases have reached all-time highs for the fourth straight year in the United States, the latest data shows.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia rates have gone up for the fourth year in a row, hitting a stunning 2.3 million new diagnosed cases in 2017 alone. That’s about 200,000 cases higher than the 2016 record, the CDC said.
And that doesn’t include other STDs such as HIV, AIDS or genital herpes.
"I think over the last five years, we've seen a rapid increase in the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in the US, and we're also starting to see a plateau in our fight against the HIV epidemic, as well," said Rob Stephenson, a professor and director of the Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Of the 1.7 million cases of chlamydia diagnosed in 2017, a shocking 45 percent were among women between the ages of 15 and 24.
Gonorrhea, which can render women infertile, is spreading so rapidly that it’s becoming resistant to antibiotics, leading some experts to fear it may soon become an incurable STD.
But remember – this isn’t to say people should refrain from having sex like dogs in a junkyard and switch to something more safe, like saving sex for a single partner in a monogamous marriage. Because that would be judgmental.