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STDs in America Hit an All-Time High in 2018

Thanks to serious cutbacks in funding, sexually transmitted illnesses skyrocketed in just a few years.
October 08 2019 1:39 PM EST
October 07 2019 10:13 PM EST
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Thanks to serious cutbacks in funding, sexually transmitted illnesses skyrocketed in just a few years.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its 2018 STD Surveillance report, which revealed that after five straight years of dramatic increases, the Unites States saw an all-time high of sexual transmitted illness rates.
In a nutshell, the report revealed that there were 1.8 million cases of chlamydia in 2018 (a 19 percent increase since 2014); 583,405 cases of gonorrhea (a 63 percent increase since 2014); 35,063 cases in primary and secondary syphilis (a 71 percent increase since 2014); and 1,306 cases of congenital syphilis (a 185 percent increase since 2014).
According to a press release from the National Coalition of STD Directors, the drastic increases are largely due to federal, state, and local funding cutbacks resulting in a “public health infrastructure that is ill-equipped to handle this growing public health threat.”
“We have an STD crisis in the US because prevention programs were sold short for years,” David C. Harvey, executive director of the NCSD, said in a statement. “Our first line of defense is underfunded and overwhelmed, leaving Americans vulnerable to STD outbreaks, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing.”
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Ryan is the Digital Director of The Advocate Channel, and a graduate of NYU Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing. She is also a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics. While her specialties are television writing and comedy, Ryan is a young member of the LGBTQ+ community passionate about politics and advocating for all.
Ryan is the Digital Director of The Advocate Channel, and a graduate of NYU Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing. She is also a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics. While her specialties are television writing and comedy, Ryan is a young member of the LGBTQ+ community passionate about politics and advocating for all.