According to a recent report by the federal government, the number of sexually transmitted cases of syphilis in adults in the United States has increased by 9% in 2022 and shows no signs of slowing down.

Fortunately, there is some surprising positive news: There has been a decrease in the number of new cases of gonorrhea for the first time in ten years.

According to officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the reason for a 9% increase in syphilis cases while gonorrhea cases decreased by 9% is unclear. They also stated that it is currently too early to determine if this indicates a new trend for gonorrhea.

The main focus is on syphilis, which is not as prevalent as gonorrhea or chlamydia but is considered more harmful. On Tuesday, data showed that the total number of cases surpassed 207,000 in 2022, the highest recorded in the United States since 1950.

According to CDC officials, although it still primarily affects gay and bisexual men, the impact of this issue is now growing in heterosexual men and women, and even impacting newborns.

Syphilis is a bacterial infection that may manifest as painless sores in the genital area, but if not treated, it can result in paralysis, hearing impairment, dementia, and even death.

The number of new cases of syphilis drastically decreased in the United States from the 1940s with the introduction of antibiotics and reached its lowest point in 1998.

Around 59,000 out of the total 2022 cases were related to the highly contagious types of syphilis. Of these cases, approximately 25% were women and nearly 25% were heterosexual men.

Dr. Philip Chan, a professor at Brown University and the chief medical officer of Open Door Health, a healthcare facility for LGBTQ+ individuals in Providence, Rhode Island, believes that there is a lack of awareness and testing for this issue within the cisgender heterosexual population, leading to its unintentional spread.

The data in the report indicates an increase in the prevalence of the most contagious forms of syphilis not only nationwide, but also among various racial and ethnic groups. The group with the highest rate was American Indian and Alaska Native individuals. Among all states, South Dakota had the most cases of infectious syphilis with a rate of 84 per 100,000 people, which is more than double the rate of the state with the second-highest number of cases, New Mexico.

According to Dr. Meghan O’Connell, the chief public health officer at the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board, an outbreak within the Native American community caused an increase in cases in South Dakota. The majority of these cases were among heterosexual individuals. O’Connell also noted that access to STD testing and treatment was already limited in remote tribal communities and became even more scarce during the pandemic.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services formed a task force to address the spread of syphilis, specifically in areas with high rates of infection such as South Dakota, 12 other states, and the District of Columbia.

The study also examined the most prevalent STDs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea.

The number of Chlamydia cases remained stable between 2021 and 2022, with a rate of approximately 495 per 100,000 people. However, there were decreases in cases among men and particularly women in their early 20s. In terms of gonorrhea, the most significant decrease was observed in women in their early 20s.

Experts are uncertain about the reason behind the decrease in gonorrhea rates, as it was observed in approximately 40 states. This suggests that the factor responsible for the decline likely affected a large portion of the country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, STD testing was disrupted, and officials attribute this to the drop in chlamydia rates in 2020.

Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, stated that there may have still been ongoing developments in testing and diagnoses in 2022.

Mermin expressed optimism about the significant decrease in gonorrhea cases, but noted that the current rate is still higher than before the pandemic. Further investigation is needed to understand the cause of this decline and determine if it will persist.

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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group provides support to the Associated Press Health and Science Department. The AP is solely responsible for the content.