CDC Syphilis on the Rise

BY Christopher Mangum

November 16 2009 1:40 PM ET

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday
that America has one of the highest rates of STDs of any developed
country.

According to the latest statistics, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infections continue to spread in the United States.

"Chlamydia and gonorrhea are stable at unacceptably high levels and syphilis is resurgent after almost being eliminated," said John Douglas, director of the division of sexually transmitted diseases at the CDC, reports Reuters.

One of the reasons offered to explain the prevalent STD infection rates, particularly among teenagers, is the abstinence-only sex education approach promoted during the Bush administration.

Several studies suggest that such a method does not work well, and that it is better to encourage abstinence while also offering age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education.

Among the notable findings within the report, men who have sex with men accounted for 63% of syphilis cases in 2008.

Douglas also added that if you are a man who has sex with men, you should to be getting comprehensive STD tests every year.

For the complete CDC study click here.