New data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that on any given day in 2018, 1 in 5 people in the United States had a sexually transmitted infection (STI), according to a news release from the agency.
The analyses, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Disease, show the burden of diagnosed and undiagnosed STIs in the United States and the estimated medical costs associated with STIs.
According to CDC estimates, there were:
· Nearly 68 million STIs on any given day in 2018 (prevalent STIs).
· 26 million newly acquired STIs in 2018 (incident STIs).
· Nearly one in two incident STIs were acquired by people aged 15 to24 years old.
· Nearly $16 billion in direct lifetime medical costs resulting from STIs acquired in 2018.
“The burden of STIs is staggering,” said Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “At a time when STIs are at an all-time high, they have fallen out of the national conversation. Yet, STIs are a preventable and treatable national health threat with substantial personal and economic impact. There is an urgent need to reverse the trend of increasing STIs, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected many STI prevention services.”
HIV and HPV infections acquired in 2018 were the costliest STIs in the new CDC analysis, as medical costs for these infections include lifetime treatment for people with HIV and treatment for HPV-related cancers. Other reportable STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, have substantial medical costs as well.
Of the estimated $16 billion in lifetime medical costs from STIs acquired in 2018:
· Most ($13.7 billion) of all costs were attributed to sexually acquired HIV infections.
· $755 million were attributed to HPV infections.
· More than $1 billion were attributed to chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis combined.
· About 60 percent of these combined costs from chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were among young people ages 15-24 yrs.
HIV and HPV infections acquired in 2018 were the costliest STIs in the new CDC analysis, as medical costs for these infections include lifetime treatment for people with HIV and treatment for HPV-related cancers. Other reportable STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, have substantial medical costs as well.
