While this news is certainly welcome, the report also indicates that some areas of the country still have alot of work to do in eliminating the spread of diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis. He says that while some of the increases may be due to more aggressive screening for sexually transmitted diseases and better tests to detect them, there are very real increases that need to be addressed in certain areas of the country and in certain groups of people. Gonorrhea and syphilis are two common sexually transmitted diseases. Symptoms of gonorrhea include discharge from the vagina or penis and pain or difficulty urinating.
Gonorrhea is readily curable with antibiotics if detected early.
Left untreated, it can affect the joints, tendons, the lining of the heart, and lead to pelvic disease and infertility among women. Syphilis also is highly curable in most cases, but left untreated, it can lead to diseases of the heart and brain, as well as cause blindness. Speaking at a sexually transmitted disease meeting in Milwaukee, Valdiserri, who is with the CDC, says infection with gonorrhea also increases the risk of getting HIV by two to five times. He adds that the high rate of infections in mostly southern states is directly related to poverty and inadequate access to prevention and treatment. The CDC, which released the new report, says about 65 million Americans are currently living with a sexually transmitted disease and millions more will become infected each year.