Sexually Transmitted Diseases  >  Tracking the Hidden Epidemics 2000 (1999 data)

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Magnitude of the Epidemics Overall

More than 25 diseases are spread primarily through sexual activity, and the trends for each disease vary considerably, but together these infections comprise a significant public health problem.

The latest estimates indicate that there are 15 million new STD cases in the United States each year (Cates, 1999). Approximately one-fourth of these new infections are in teenagers. And while some STDs, such as syphilis, have been brought to all time lows, others, like genital herpes, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, continue to resurge and spread through the population.

Because there is no single STD epidemic, but rather multiple epidemics, discussions about trends over time and populations affected must focus on each specific STD. More is known about the frequency and trends of some STDs than others, since many of the diseases are difficult to track. Not including HIV, the most common STDs in the U.S. are chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis. The latest estimates of incidence and prevalence are provided below.

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