The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains high in the United States, with more than 2.4 million reported in 2023. However, the latest data from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show signs the epidemic could be slowing.
In 2023:
- Gonorrhea cases dropped for a second year—declining 7% from 2022 and falling below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels (2019).
- Overall, syphilis cases increased by 1% after years of double-digit increases.
- Primary and secondary syphilis cases, the most infectious stages of syphilis, fell 10%—the first substantial decline in more than two decades. These cases also dropped 13% among gay and bisexual men for the first time since CDC began reporting national trends among this population in the mid-2000s.
- Increases in newborn syphilis (known as congenital syphilis) cases appear to be slowing in some areas—with a 3% increase over 2022 nationally, compared to 30% annual increases in prior years.
