At a glance
This page includes CDC's latest national estimates of new STIs, the total number of people estimated to have a STI in the United States, and the annual medial cost to the health care system.
STIs remain common and costly to the nation's health
CDC's analyses included eight common STIs, four of which are easily treated and cured if diagnosed early: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Also included in the analyses are four sexually transmitted viruses: human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV). Many of these infections go undetected because they often have no symptoms and can have serious health consequences.
STIs: Prevalence, incidence, and cost
Latest CDC estimates reveal nearly 68 million STIs in the U.S., and 26 million new infections
Estimated number of new and existing sexually transmitted infections. PREVELANCE: The number of people with an STI at a given point in 2018. INCIDENCE: The number of people who acquired a disease in 2018. *HIV Data was collected from the National HIV Surveillance System and includes HIV infections for persons aged 13 and older.
STIs cost the U.S. healthcare system billions each year
In 2018, new infections totaled nearly $16 billion in direct lifetime medical costs.
While medical costs alone are significant, the overall cost of STIs is higher when factoring in costs associated with maternal transmission, STI prevention, lost productivity, or other non-medical costs.
Fighting STIs: Diagnosis, prompt treatment and prevention
Prevention
Because STIs are preventable, significant reductions in new infections are not only possible, they are urgently needed. Prevention can minimize the negative, long-term consequences of STIs and reduce healthcare costs. To do this, prevention efforts should:
- Focus on disproportionately affected populations. Young people and women face some of the biggest impacts and most significant consequences of STIs.
- Consider the social, cultural and economic conditions that make it more difficult for some sexually active people to stay healthy (e.g., poverty, unstable housing, drug use, lack of medical insurance or medical home, high burden of STIs in some communities).
More information on STI prevention is available here.
Diagnosis and prompt treatment
For all individuals who are sexually active – particularly young people and women – STI screening and prompt treatment (if infected) are critical to protect a person's health and prevent transmission to others. If you are sexually active, be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about STI testing and which tests may be right for you. CDC's STI screening recommendations are available here and information for providers can be found here.
- Kreisel, KM, et al., Sexually transmitted infections among US women and men: Prevalence and incidence estimates, 2018. Sex Transm Dis 2021; in press.
- Chesson, HW, et al., The estimated direct lifetime medical costs of sexually transmitted infections acquired in the United States in 2018. Sex Transm Dis 2021; in press.