The Centers for Disease Control issued a press release on November 12, 2024 regarding the 2023 STI data for the U.S. Although the number of STIs in the country remains high, the report indicates the epidemic could be slowing.

In Georgia, rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea decreased 3% from 2022. Syphilis rates stayed the same with the exception of an increase in congenital syphilis rates.

From the CDC press release regarding national numbers:

• Gonorrhea cases dropped for a second year—declining 7% from 2022 and falling below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels (2019).
• Overall, syphilis cases increased by 1% after years of double-digit increases.
  • Primary and secondary syphilis cases, the most infectious stages of syphilis, fell 10%—the first substantial decline in more than two decades. These cases also dropped 13% among gay and bisexual men for the first time since CDC began reporting national trends among this population in the mid-2000s.
  • Increases in newborn syphilis (known as congenital syphilis) cases appear to be slowing in some areas—with a 3% increase over 2022 nationally, compared to 30% annual increases in prior years.

“I see a glimmer of hope amidst millions of STIs,” says Jonathan Mermin, M.D., M.P.H., Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “After nearly two decades of STI increases, the tide is turning. We must make the most of this moment—let’s further this momentum with creative innovation and further investment in STI prevention.”

Click here to read the full press release on the CDC website.

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