The CDC just released a new report titled “Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2012 - Division of STD Prevention” (January 2014). Here is a brief synopsis of the data:
Heterosexual Men and Women
During 2008–2012, the reported chlamydial infection rate among men increased 25.5% (from 209.3 to 262.6 cases per 100,000 males) compared with a 11.0% increase among women during the same period (from 579.4 to 643.3 cases per 100,000 females).
Gonorrhea rates among women have been slightly higher than those among men since 2001. During 2011–2012, the gonorrhea rate among women increased 0.6%, to 108.7 cases per 100,000 population, and the rate among men increased 8.3%, to 105.8 per 100,000 population. The magnitude of the increase among men compared to women is suggestive of either increased transmission or increased case ascertainment (e.g., through increased extra-genital screening) among men who have sex with men (MSM).
In 2012, the rate of P&S syphilis was highest among persons aged 20–24 years and 25–29 years (14.8 and 13.7 cases per 100,000 population, respectively). Rates were highest among men 20–29 years, increasing 11.0% (from 22.8 to 25.3 cases) among men 20–24 years and 15.6% (from 21.2 to 24.5 cases) among men 25–29 years during 2012.
Homosexual Men
MSM were tested for gonorrhea (22,007) and chlamydia (21,767). The median site-specific gonorrhea prevalence was 16.4% (range by site: 9.84%–30.4%). The median site-specific chlamydia prevalence was 12.0% (range by site: 6.4%–22.2%).
In 2012, the proportion of MSM who presented to SSuN (CDC STD Surveillance Network) clinics with P&S syphilis infection who also were infected with HIV ranged from 18.5% in Los Angeles to 66.7% in Birmingham. The median site-specific proportion co-infected with HIV was 44.8%.
GISP (Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project) is a national sentinel surveillance system designed to monitor trends in antimicrobial susceptibilities of N. gonorrhoeae strains in the United States. GISP has demonstrated that gonococcal isolates from MSM are more likely to exhibit antimicrobial resistance than isolates from MSW. Overall, the proportion of isolates from MSM in selected STD clinics from GISP sentinel sites has increased steadily, from 4.6% in 1990 to 33.1% in 2012.
Authors note: The rate of gonorrhea in the MSM population is 2X as high as in the heterosexual population; the rate of chlamydia is nearly 6X that of heterosexuals; over 44% of gay males who are HIV+ also tested positive for syphilis; the biggest shocker – over 33% of gay men tested positive for drug resistant gonorrhea.
Link to original report: