After more than a year of Americans being urged to practice the (feet), infectious disease specialists want to remind them about safe sex.
While different people reacted to pandemic safety guidelines in , for some Americans, lockdown meant . But as more , social restrictions are getting -- and some people seem to be ready to make up for lost time by embracing their "."
shot up 23.4 per cent to $37 million during the four weeks ending April 18, compared to the same stretch in 2020, according to market research firm IRI. That increase followed a 4.4 per cent drop in all of 2020.
But while many see the further reopening of the economy as a sign that COVID-19 is less of a health crisis, there are other viruses and bacteria out there -- such as those that are sexually transmitted. And physicians warn a rise in STD cases is on the way. But that's not just because vaccinated singles are ready to mingle again.
Reported STDs in the United States reached an all-time high for the sixth consecutive year in 2019,, with more than 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis reported.
These reportable STDs increased by nearly 30 per cent between 2015 and 2019, the agency said.
Experts told CNN these worrisome trends can be tied to several factors.
Dr. Hunter Handsfield, a professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD, told CNN one of those could be that people are using condoms less. He said this applies particularly to men who have sex with men because they see that layer of protection, plus selecting uninfected partners, as less important now that there are more , specifically, pre-exposure prophylaxis, or -- pills people at high risk can take to prevent infection.
There are also changed attitudes about sexuality.
"People currently in their teens and 20s, I think, there are different attitudes and beliefs about what constitutes a committed relationship and what doesn't," Handsfield said.
Additionally, there are more resources to meet sexual partners, including , which have less of a compared to years past.
The CDC notes high infection levels can also be impacted by obstacles to prevention and care, such as poverty, unstable housing or lack of a medical home.
Add a pandemic that requires health care systems to reallocate staff from STD prevention to helping fight a deadly respiratory virus and these problems get exacerbated.
The CDC says preliminary 2020 data suggest many of these concerning trends continued into 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted STD testing and treatment services.
A CDC study published in the Journal of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association in June gives the first preliminary findings of the national impact of COVID-19 on STDs in 2020, with data through December of last year.
The found while reported STDs dramatically decreased during March and April of 2020, some appeared to resurge by the end of the year.
As of December 12, the cumulative totals for 2020 compared to 2019 showed gonorrhea case counts were 7 per cent higher, chlamydia case numbers were 14 per cent lower and numbers of syphilis cases (primary & secondary) were 1 per cent lower.
In a , Dr. Hilary Reno, a medical consultant with the Division of STD Prevention at the CDC, detailed how the pandemic led to a dramatic drop in STD testing last year.
BJC HealthCare, one of the main hospitals in the St. Louis metro region, saw testing decline after the first positive Covid-19 case in March, Reno said. After the city issued stay-at-home orders, testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia dropped 45 per cent. Reno added this amounted to about 4,400 missed gonorrhea and chlamydia tests in a 10-week period in this region.
HIV testing had a similar pattern, with an estimated 5,000 missed tests in the same period, Reno said.
Handsfield told CNN it is difficult to know for sure what really happened to the number of STD cases during the peak of the pandemic.
"The notion that there is a risk that they will rebound, to me, makes a certain amount of sense. But it's with that caveat that we really don't know very well how to interpret the data behind those observations," Handsfield said.
Testing also may have increased pre-pandemic.
Dr. Kees Rietmeijer, former director of the STD Control Program at the Denver Public Health Department, pointed out to CNN that, like COVID-19, "the more you test, the more you find." But unlike coronavirus cases, the number of negative STD tests is not reported, so the positivity rate isn't known.
One way sexually transmitted infections are like COVID-19 is that many cases are asymptomatic, said Dr. Julie Dombrowski, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington who also does research on HIV and STI clinical and public health services.
That means the decrease in testing resulted in a number of STDs that went undetected and untreated, which presumably led to some ongoing transmission, Dombrowski told CNN. She noted is especially an issue in this case, as it is usually asymptomatic and can lead to infertility and other reproductive issues.
And while some people may have been less sexually active during the pandemic, not all sex stopped, so those pre-pandemic infections didn't just disappear.
Dr. Edward Hook, a professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told CNN part of maintaining sexual health is realizing these infections are more common than many people think.
"Nobody wants to think they've got a sexually transmitted infection or going to get one," he said.
Rietmeijer echoed Hook, pointing out that the approach to treating STDs has focused on the clinical aspect, rather than the individual and societal impacts, such as inequity in health care and a stigma that can hinder people from taking preventative measures seriously.
A , which Hook and Rietmeijer worked on, said "the national response to STIs must also consider the root causes of poor health," which range from racism and poverty to social stigma.
A lack of timely diagnosis or preventative measures can lead to dangerous consequences.
For example, , can cause cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, and cancers of the anus and penis.
The good news is, STDs are .
Vaccines are recommended for protection against hepatitis B and HPV. The is recommended for preteens ages 11 or 12 and everyone through age 26, though it's approved for anyone through age 45. The is recommended for infants at birth, with the series of shots being completed at 6 months. It's also recommended for certain unvaccinated adults, such as those with sexual partners who have hepatitis B.
The everyone from ages 13 to 64 be tested at least once for HIV. But people at higher risk, which includes men who have sex with men, should get tested more often. Those men should get tested every three to six months. Anyone else who has unsafe sex should get tested for HIV at least once a year.
All sexually active women younger than 25 years should be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia every year, according to the agency's guidance. All pregnant women should be tested for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B starting early in pregnancy. All men who have sex with men should be tested at least once a year for syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. (You can look for a place to get tested near you with the CDC's .)
Hook said another element of maintaining good sexual health involves having a conversation with sexual partners.
"Hopefully people are interested in each other's health as well as their own," he said. "Increasingly, although not increasingly enough, we are seeing and we continue to encourage couples who are thinking about or planning to initiate sexual activity, or even couples who have just recently begun sexual activity together, to go together to be screened for STIs."
Following the re-election of former U.S. president Donald Trump, former finance minister Bill Morneau says the Canadian government should re-evaluate the timing of some cornerstone Liberal policies.
A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Across Canada, dignitaries marked Remembrance Day by laying wreaths at ceremonies, school children sang in the late fall chill and veterans recalled the horrors of battle.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris on Monday made their first joint appearance since her U.S. selection loss when they observed Veterans Day together by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
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A man accused of killing a person and staging it as a fatal bear attack in Tennessee was taken into custody in South Carolina over the weekend on murder charges, in what authorities described as a plot to steal the victim’s identity.
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A government-funded report released to Â鶹´«Ã½ highlights 'systemic racism' against dozens of Black executives within the federal public service, including allegations of abuse, violence and harassment that, in some instances, led to suicide.
The federal government is urging both sides in the British Columbia port dispute to return to the table after mediated talks broke off on Saturday, the first of three scheduled days.
The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.
Israel’s new foreign minister said that there has been 'certain progress' in efforts to end the fighting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris on Monday made their first joint appearance since her U.S. selection loss when they observed Veterans Day together by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
A Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire Monday over Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, according to diplomatic source in the country, resulting in what the airline described as “minor injuries†to one of its crew members.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is seeking to move up the start of his trial on corruption and bribery charges so he can focus on his campaign for reelection this spring.
A man accused of killing a person and staging it as a fatal bear attack in Tennessee was taken into custody in South Carolina over the weekend on murder charges, in what authorities described as a plot to steal the victim’s identity.
With armed conflict again on their continent, many European leaders marked the end 106 years ago of First World War with warnings that liberty, so often taken as self-evident, should be cherished and defended.
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Murray Sinclair’s family members say the late justice and senator has been laid to rest according to his wishes.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale—Langley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.
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An opponent of vaccines who urged violence against scientists, politicians and public health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic was sentenced Monday.
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Chu shared on his Instagram Stories that he and his wife Kristin Hodge welcomed their fifth child on Saturday, writing that he “can’t believe this happened while the movie is premiering.â€
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Pat McLaughlin is stepping down as Hockey Canada's chief operating officer and executive vice-president of strategy, the governing body announced Monday.
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Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
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Several hundred people gathered outside the Ontario legislature in Toronto to honour veterans and remember those who died fighting for their country.
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A man believed to be in his 40s has been rushed to a trauma centre following a stabbing in downtown Toronto.
Calgarians observed Remembrance Day at a number of different ceremonies across the city on Monday, including at the Hangar Flight Museum.
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The company confirms it will open the new Chipotle at 5671 Hazeldean Road on Thursday, in the former location of Benny & Co.
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Edmonton's Beverly Memorial Cenotaph on Monday hosted its 104th Remembrance Day service to honour past and present veterans.
Across Canada, dignitaries marked Remembrance Day by laying wreaths at ceremonies, school children sang in the late fall chill and veterans recalled the horrors of battle.
A member of Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton participated in the national Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa on Monday.
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Thousand of people gathered at the Menin Gate in the Ypres, Belgium for Monday’s Remembrance Day Ceremony.
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Two buildings in downtown Hamilton collapsed early Monday morning but firefighters say no injuries were reported.
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The Regina Rams claimed the Hardy Cup after a hard fought battle against the Saskatoon Huskies 19-14 on Saturday in the first all Saskatchewan U-Sports western conference final since 2002.
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.
Across Canada, dignitaries marked Remembrance Day by laying wreaths at ceremonies, school children sang in the late fall chill and veterans recalled the horrors of battle.
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Oxford OPP say that they are investigating a collision that resulted in serious injuries on Sunday evening.
A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.
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A Barrie man is accused of being at the centre of an alleged $2.2 million stolen used car scheme.
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Environment Canada issued a weather alert for Barrie, Collingwood and surrounding areas, alerting residents about the wicked winds that are expected to pick up to 80 kilometres per hour in the afternoon hours.
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Representatives of the Windsor Veterans Memorial Services Committee, military representatives, wreath bearers, government officials, and members of the public will attend the Cenotaph at City Hall Square for the outdoor service.
Windsor Paralympic champion, Danielle Campo, has been crowned the number one Inspirational Speaker of the Year for 2024 at the Inspirational Speaking Finals.
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.
A B.C. teen has a suspected case of H5N1 avian flu — the first known human to acquire the virus in Canada.
Environment Canada says heavy rain and winds could cause power outages on Vancouver Island as an "intense" storm system is set to hit the B.C. coast Sunday.
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.
The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.
Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.
The Southern Alberta Recreation Association is officially announcing the Town of Taber as next year’s host for the Southern Alberta Summer Games.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes broke open a close game with three goals in the first two minutes of the third period as they defeated the Warriors 7-3 in a game played Friday night in Moose Jaw.
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Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.
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Police say that a 16-year-old was attacked with a sword Nov. 3 in Cobalt, Ont., in a case of intimate partner violence.
Police in Newfoundland say a man was electrocuted Saturday by a downed power wire about 10 kilometres north of St. John's, N.L.
On Thursday morning, Dave Penny officially ended a suggested hundred-day isolation period that followed his diagnosis and stem cell treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. On Thursday night, Penny returned to a stage at a downtown St. John's bar, regaling a small crowd with songs and stories with a distinctive Newfoundland flair.
A Memorial University scientist says the mysterious white blobs washing up on Newfoundland beaches are actually gobs of plastic -- and they need to be cleaned up.
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