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U.S. rates of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis have all steeply increased for the fourth consecutive year, according to preliminary data from the CDC. Nearly 2.3 million cases of those sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were diagnosed in 2017, an increase of 200,000 over the prior year. Among the other findings:
Incident gonorrhea has increased 67% — from 333,000 to 556,000 — from 2013 to 2017. Among men, the number nearly doubled. Of note, in lab testing, emerging resistance to azithromycin rose from 1% to 4% from 2013 to 2017. Azithromycin is often coadministered with ceftriaxone to delay resistance to ceftriaxone.
Cases of primary and secondary syphilis increased 76% — from 17,000 to 30,000 — during these 4 years.
Cases of chlamydia h…