Broader outbreaks of syphilis fueled a 5% increase in sexually transmitted diseases in 2019 when compared with 2018, the Minnesota Department of Health reported Wednesday.
Exactly what the numbers will look like by the end of 2020 is unclear, with the global COVID-19 pandemic reducing person-to-person interaction and sexual activity levels and affecting STD testing as well. But the 2019 numbers show the acceleration of a trend, with STD levels increasing by only 3% in 2018.
"We don't have any hard data about the impact COVID has had on sexual behavior or even on STD testing rates since we do not get negatives," said Christine Jones, manager for the Health Department's STD section. "I don't think it's safe for us to make any conclusions."
While there were more cases of chlamydia (24,535) and gonorrhea (8,063) in 2019, the one-year increase in syphilis cases affected the overall increase in STDs.
Overall case numbers increased by 23% to 1,127 in 2019 for syphilis, an infectious disease caused by a bacteria spread through sexual activity. The state reported detecting 385 cases of syphilis in 2019 that were at the primary or secondary stages of infection, a 32% increase.
While syphilis is treatable with antibiotics, it can cause a variety of complications including cognitive deficits and vision and hearing loss when the infection is neglected and reaches later stages.
The Health Department reported using a new analytical method for tracking outbreaks of syphilis, which have increased among men who have sex with other men, as well as homeless people and women who are pregnant or of childbearing age.
The state has been tracking a syphilis outbreak in north-central Minnesota since 1996, but cases increased in the Twin Cities as well.
