STDs News

For the second year in a row, the CDC’s annual STI report showed an overall decline in combined cases of the three nationally reportable infections — chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.

Gonorrhea is the second most common STI, with more than 82 million new infections globally each year, including 601,319 cases in the United States in 2023.

When we started our “Hooked on ID” series 6 years ago, the pitch was simple: “The field of ID has never been more important. Tell us why you chose it.”

Throughout 2024, data surrounding STDs came in waves of good and bad news, with data showing slower rates of infection and even disease elimination intermingling with news of hospitals failing to follow CDC guidance.

Amid progress made on COVID-19 prevention and treatment and continued progress on ART for HIV, and new concerns about syphilis levels in the United States, updates to clinical guidance in 2024 covered a lot of ground.

Although Candida auris and Clostridioides difficile continue to be dangerous for patients, research published throughout this year has highlighted strides made in outbreak prevention and understanding nosocomial infections.

Although there is still no HIV vaccine and no promising candidates in the pipeline, data published throughout 2024 show the significant impacts of prevention efforts and tools.

Each month, we ask one of our PharmD columnists to dig into the literature to find evidence-based answers to important clinical questions in the field of infectious diseases.

Each cover of Healio | Infectious Disease News is topped by a feature story on an emerging topic in the field of ID.