LOVE HURTS

Sex diseases surge to record rates across U.S.

AMERICA STILL hasn’t learned to wrap it up — and that’s nothing to clap about.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of sexually transmitted diseases syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea have hit record levels in the United States. Syphilis cases rose 19% from the year before.

In 2015, there were 1.5 million cases of chlamydia, 400,000 of gonorrhea and almost 24,000 of syphilis.

Reported cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea are highest among people ages 15-24, who also account for half of the nearly 20 million new sexually transmitted infections each year.

There has also been an alarming rise in syphilis infections among men, who make up 90% of all new cases.

In cases where the sex of the partner is known, gay and bisexual men account for 82% of cases.

All three of the STDs are curable with antibiotics and early detection.

Transmission can be prevented through condom use. The longer the diseases are left untreated, the higher the chance for irreversible consequences, such as infertility and stillbirth, as well as increasing a person’s risk for getting and spreading an HIV infection.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea can be devoid of symptoms, especially for women, who tend to suffer more serious long-term health effects from those diseases.

The CDC stresses the importance for sexually active people to be tested annually — which may be more difficult than ever.

“Many of the country’s systems for preventing STDs have eroded,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s sexual disease prevention center. According to the release, budgets for state and local STD services have sharply declined, resulting in decreased access to clinics, information and resources.

The study notes that the resurgence of syphilis, “and particularly congenital syphilis, is not an arbitrary event, but rather a symptom of a deteriorating public health infrastructure and lack of access to health care.”