According to CDC and DPH statistics, sexually transmitted infections are increasing

SPRINGFIELD – Sexually transmitted infections are increasing locally, statewide and nationally.

Syphilis cases in particular are seeing a rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest annual surveillance report on sexually transmitted diseases (formerly called STDs or sexually transmitted diseases).

The CDC noted that between 2018 and 2022, more than 2.5 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases, particularly syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea, were reported in the United States

Massachusetts’ statistics reflect those of the country.

Between those five years, the number of STI cases increased in the Bay State, except for a decline in 2020, according to data from the state Department of Health.

“Syphilis was almost eradicated, and cases have been increasing again in the last eight to 10 years,” said Dr. Andrew Koslow, associate medical director of American Family Care for Massachusetts, an urgent care provider.

According to DPH, between 2020 and 2022, Hampden County had the second highest number of syphilis cases after Suffolk County.

“It is quite concerning to see these cases in our neighborhood,” Dr. Durane Walker, an infectious disease and STI specialist at Baystate Health, added that this is the biggest concern he has had about syphilis in his career.

For both districts there were significantly more cases in 2022 than in the previous two years.

The CDC also noted that “more than half of new infections occur in people ages 15 to 24.”

In the Commonwealth, chlamydia was most common in young women aged 15 to 24 years; Gonorrhea occurred most commonly in young women aged 15 to 24 years and men aged 20 to 29 years; and syphilis was most common in men aged 30 to 34 years.

He said women often have a higher infection burden from chlamydia, while men have a higher infection burden from gonorrhea and syphilis.

While Walker sees mostly adult patients, “I’m also seeing an increase in young patients,” he said.

“The best course of action is abstinence,” Koslow said, “but if that is not possible, then other protective measures, such as using a condom correctly during any sexual contact, education about infections and their symptoms, and knowing where to go.” “For Help” are also useful.

Baystate offers patients post-exposure doxycycline to treat chlamydia and syphilis, Walker said.

“Gonorrhea can be resistant to antibiotics,” Koslow said. The CDC has the most current information about which treatment providers can use patients.

“Typically we take it on a case-by-case basis,” Walker said.

The Springfield hospital also offers patients a no-questions-asked screening, and the state allows patients’ partners to be screened and treated without being seen through the Expedited Partners Therapy program.

The test consists of a comprehensive screening for chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B and C, trichomoniasis, syphilis and HIV.

Younger, sexually active people can be “harder to reach because conversations about sex can be awkward,” Walker said. For this reason, “it is important to destigmatize testing.”

To accomplish this, Koslow suggested better education about sex, starting at home.

“Parents, pediatricians and teachers all have a shared responsibility to educate the next generation about the best practices for safe sex,” he said.

Walker added: “People should not be stigmatized for having sex or having multiple partners. Tests should be available to every patient regardless of their sex life.”