STI Rates in the U.S. Declined for the Third Straight Year
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention credits interventions like doxy PEP for helping curb the spread of gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia.
The overall rate of sexually transmitted infections has fallen for the third consecutive year, according to the latest provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC reported 2.2 million cases of sexually transmitted infections in 2024 — 13% higher than in 2015 but 9% lower than in 2023. The data also mark the third consecutive year that rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia have declined.
Specifically, cases of primary and secondary syphilis — the disease’s most infectious stages — declined by 22% from 2023, marking the second straight year of decline.
Gonorrhea diagnoses in the United States fell by 10% from 2023, the third straight year of decline. Nationally, chlamydia cases dropped 8%, marking a second consecutive year of decreases.
However, while national STI rates are down overall, trends vary by region, and some communities may still be seeing increases not reflected in the broader data.
The declines “reflect the impact of public health efforts, including greater awareness of the STI epidemic and expanded use of prevention tools such as self-tests and doxy PEP,” according to the CDC.
Doxy PEP, a form of post-exposure prophylaxis, is commonly used by gay and bisexual men. When taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it reduces the risk of contracting chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea. Because gay men account for a disproportionate share of STI cases in the United States, wider use of doxy PEP helps lower overall infection rates.
The CDC data did contain troubling news about congenital syphilis, which is transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy or birth and can cause severe health problems or even death. Though treatable if detected early, cases rose for the 12th consecutive year, surpassing 4,000 in 2024 — a 2% increase from 2023 and a staggering 700% jump since 2015.
“While the STI epidemic may be turning a corner, we must accelerate progress and stop its most tragic consequences,” said Dr. Bradley Stoner, director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “About one in five people in the United States have an STI, affecting millions of Americans and thousands of babies each year. We need to continue our prevention efforts wholeheartedly at the federal, state, and local levels.”
“The latest CDC data is a hopeful sign that the nation is making progress on an out-of-control STI epidemic, but we have far more work to do,” Elizabeth Finley, interim executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said in a statement.
Yet even as infection rates fall, critics say the Trump administration’s policies have made it harder for health officials to combat new STI outbreaks.
Earlier this year, the CDC closed a laboratory specializing in sexually transmitted infection research. The staff were dismissed as part of 10,000 layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a restructuring effort led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to consolidate departments and align with the Trump administration’s goal of reducing federal health care spending.
As The New York Times reported, scientists were unable to properly shut down laboratories in the CDC’s STI division before being locked out of their email systems and the building. Equipment was reportedly left running, hazardous materials unattended, and samples from state laboratories went untested — leaving state and local health departments largely on their own to track and investigate STI outbreaks.
Outreach and education efforts targeting higher-risk groups, such as men who have sex with men, have also been hampered by the Trump administration’s removal of materials referencing sexual orientation or gender identity — the latter of which the administration does not officially recognize.
CNBC reported last week that the CDC removed more than a dozen web pages addressing LGBTQ identity at the direction of HHS. The deleted pages included information about STIs and risks to gay men, as well as fact sheets on asexuality and bisexuality.
An HHS spokesperson defended the deletions, saying the agency “continues to align its website with administration priorities and executive orders.”
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