CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. 

 CHICAGO (AP) — A U.S. sexually transmitted diseases epidemic is increasing and the most common infection, chlamydia, has risen to record levels, government officials say. 
 
 Reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis all increased in 2014. Chlamydia cases had dipped in 2013, but last year's total of more than 1.4 million — or 456 cases per 100,000 — was the highest number of annual cases of any condition ever reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The chlamydia rate was up almost 3 percent from 2013, the CDC reported Tuesday. 
 
 Sexually transmitted diseases are among more than 70 diseases that are reportable to the CDC, including measles, chickenpox and tuberculosis. Flu is reported differently, by hospitalizations. 
 
 "America's worsening STD epidemic is a clear call for better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention," said the CDC's Dr. Jonathan Mermin. 
 
 Gonorrhea cases totaled 350,062, up 5 percent from 2013, and the most contagious forms of syphilis jumped 15 percent to 20,000. As in previous years, the syphilis increase was mainly in gay and bisexual men. 
 
 Most gonorrhea and chlamydia infections were in 15- to 24-year-olds, an ongoing trend. Both can cause infertility in women but can be treated with antibiotics. They often have no symptoms, and while yearly screening is recommended for sexually active women younger than 25, many don't get tested and infections go untreated, the CDC said. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Online: 
 
 CDC: http://www.cdc.gov 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/lindsey-tanner 

 Just under 20,000 cases of syphilis were reported in 2014, the highest rate since 1994 and a 15 percent increase over 2013, the CDC said. The CDC found 458 cases of syphilis in newborn babies — a startling 27.5 percent increase over 2013. 
 
 And more than 350,000 cases of gonorrhea were reported, up 5 percent from 2013. 
 
 “Certainly, this is the first time since 2006 that all three of our notifiable sexually transmitted diseases have increased,” said the CDC’s Dr. Gail Bolan. “Some of the increases are quite alarming.” 
 
 “Some of the increases are quite alarming.” 
 
 Most of the increases have been seen in young adults, who get infected soon after they first begin having sex. 
 
 The CDC estimates that half of the 20 million new sexually transmitted infections that occur every year are among people aged 15–24. 
 
 “Young people are the most vulnerable,” Bolan said. While antibiotics can treat the infections, they often do not cause symptoms until damage has been done. 
 
 “Women can lose their reproductive health for a lifetime from infection of chlamydia or gonorrhea,” Bolan said. 
 
 What’s going on to cause the increase? There are several factors, the CDC says. Budget cuts are a big factor. 
 
 “Most recently, there have been significant erosions of state and local STD control programs,” Bolan said. “Most people don’t recognize that the direct clinical care of individuals with sexually transmitted diseases is supported by state and local funds and federal funds.” 
 
 Just one example: In October, the Illinois Department of Health stopped paying for STD tests at 100 jails and local health departments across the state 
 
 “In one year 7 percent of local health departments said they closed their STD clinics,” Bolan said. And 43 percent said they had to cut back on the hours they could stay open. About a third had to raise fees and co-pays, something that’s been shown to keep some people away. 
 
 Another big factor is a change in behavior among gay and bisexual men. 
 
 “The increase in syphilis among gay men is concerning because we have been seeing this increase for almost a decade,” Bolan said. “It seems to correlate with the advent of HIV treatment.” 
 
 “In one year 7 percent of local health departments said they closed their STD clinics." 
 
 Bolan’s quick to say that HIV treatment is not responsible for the change. But the cocktails of powerful HIV drugs that are now available have made the infection a chronic disease that can be managed, instead of a death sentence. HIV patients know they can stay healthy if they take the drugs, and that they are less likely to infect someone else. 
 
 “People are excited about it,” Bolan said. And some may have stopped using condoms so consistently, because they are no longer afraid of a deadly infection. 
 
 “But, unfortunately, HIV treatment has no impact on prevention of (other) STDs,” she added. “Unless you are using condoms consistently and correctly, you are putting yourself at risk for STDs.” 
 
 And uninfected people can also take HIV drugs to protect themselves from infection. That might make people think they’re even safer from HIV. A study just published Monday supports this. Researchers across the country found that people at high risk of HIV who took the drugs in a practice called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP almost never caught HIV, but they did catch syphilis and gonorrhea. 
 
 “There is some data suggesting that there is less condom use in some populations now,” Bolan said. 
 
 As for chlamydia, Bolan thinks it’s mostly a matter of better reporting that’s driving the record numbers of reported cases. 
 
 “Chlamydia has been a very common sexually transmitted infection for years,” she said.
– For the first time in nearly a decade, three of the most well-known sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise—and CDC experts are calling the increase "alarming," NBC News reports. In the agency's latest findings, there were nearly 20,000 syphilis cases in 2014 (a 15% rise from 2013, and the highest rate since 1994), including 458 cases in newborns—a 27.5% increase from the year before. On the gonorrhea front, 350,000 cases were reported in 2014 (a 5% increase), while chlamydia racked up 1.4 million cases in 2014, which is the highest number of cases of any disease ever reported to the CDC. But while young people and women usually end up being most affected, there's another group that doctors are now keeping an eye on. "We are concerned that most of the surging rates are among men," says the director of the CDC's STD prevention division, per HealthDay News. "Men are driving these increases." So what's the root of this surge? Slashed budgets for state and local STD initiatives, for one, meaning clinic closings or reduced hours and increased fees and copays, NBC notes. Another contributor is a change in sexual behavior, especially among gay and bisexual men, based on advances in HIV treatment: Because drugs for the virus are so effective, people have let down their guard and stopped wearing condoms as much—but condoms are still needed to prevent STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea. "America's worsening STD epidemic is a clear call for better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention," a CDC doctor tells the AP. For policymakers wary of prevention programs' costs, an American Sexual Health Association rep makes another crucial point, per HealthDay News: STDs run up a $16 billion bill each year. (There's a new STD in town, folks.)