For the first time this past decade, national syphilis infection rates declined in 2010, dropping 1.6 percent overall as compared to the previous year. While this news is somewhat encouraging, it doesn’t negate the need for STD testing on a whole. In fact, the drop in syphilis was mostly attributed to women, whose infection rates fell by 20 percent last year. Men, on the other hand, showed an upsurge in syphilis cases, with an increased rate of 1.3 percent. What this means is that those at risk for syphilis should continue to make STD testing a priority.
But the need for STD testing extends way beyond syphilis alone. In 2010, gonorrhea rates rose, albeit slightly, across the country, while chlamydia infection rates remained unsettlingly high. In fact, the number of reported chlamydia cases has risen steadily over the past two decades, though increased screening efforts have likely contributed to those numbers. The CDC recommends STD testing for chlamydia in sexually active women 25 and under, but those at risk for any of these infections should undergo regular STD testing.
