Announcement: STD Awareness Month — April 2016

Weekly / April 1, 2016 / 65(12);330

According to data published by CDC in the 2014 Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) Surveillance Report (http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats14/surv-2014-print.pdf), cases of three nationally notifiable STDs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) have increased for the first time since 2006.

With approximately 1.4 million reported cases of chlamydia and a rate of 456.1 cases per 100,000 population, the rate of reported cases has increased 2.8 percent since 2013. Rates of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis, the most infectious stages of syphilis, and gonorrhea, have both increased since 2013, by 15.1 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively. In 2014, there were 350,062 reported cases of gonorrhea (a rate of 110.7 per 100,000) and 19,999 reported cases of P&S syphilis (for a rate of 6.3 per 100,000).

STDs continue to affect young people, particularly women, most severely, but increasing rates among men, especially among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, contributed to the overall increases in 2014 for all three diseases.

April 2016 is CDC’s annual STD Awareness Month, and the prevention theme for this year’s campaign is Talk Test Treat. Individuals should begin a program of STD prevention by talking openly and honestly with their sexual partners and health care providers about their sexual history. Sexually transmitted infections might be asymptomatic; among sexually active persons, getting tested is one of the most important things they can do to protect their health. Health care providers can help their patients decide which tests are the most appropriate for them. Patients who test positive for an STD should work with their doctor to get the correct treatment, and ensure that the treatment works. Learning resources for patients, clinicians, and community members about STDs are available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/std/sam.

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Suggested citation for this article: Announcement. STD Awareness Month — April 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:330. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6512a5 .