Leading sexual health experts have attributed the record number of sexually transmitted infections to the ‘explosion’ in popularity of dating apps such as Hinge and Bumble.
Last week, officials deemed rising cases of conditions such as chlamydia and syphilis hitting the US as an “out of control” epidemic.
The warning followed the release of the latest CDC data showing that 2.5 million cases of STDs had been detected in 2022, marking a rise in chlamydia and, most worryingly, potentially fatal syphilis.
The prevalence of the infection, which can damage the brain and heart, has risen by almost 80 percent in five years.
The shocking figures have sparked fierce debate within the medical community about the cause of the alarming situation.
For example, some have pointed to the staggering decline in condom use among American men—nearly 30 percent since 2011, according to some studies.
This graph shows how the number of syphilis cases in the US is rising again and is now at the highest level since the 1950s
And doctors have intriguing theories about why this is so.
Now some of America’s top sexual health experts have told DailyMail.com their fascinating explanations for the jump in infections.
The endless Covid hangover and the digital dating revolution are just two of the many reasons…
SYPHILIS MAINLY AFFECTED GAY MEN – THEN COME DATING APPS…
In 2000, syphilis was on the brink of eradication, with a record low of 5,979 cases per year in the US.
According to official data, there were 207,000 diagnoses in 2022.
A decade ago, experts said that infections – which spread through contact with a syphilitic ulcer, which usually forms on the genitals – were almost all among gay or bisexual men.
But in 2013, a sudden “shift” occurred, when cases among women and straight men began to increase.
Experts say much of this can be explained by the increasing popularity of dating apps among heterosexual people, such as Tinder, which launched in 2012.
Grindr – a dating app used by gay men – was launched in 2009, when the number of cases of syphilis among men who had sex with men began to gradually increase.
Experts suggest the apps expanded access to sexual partners as Americans no longer had to rely on meeting potential suitors in person.
Dr. Joseph Cherabie, a sexual health expert in St. Louis, Missouri, told DailyMail.com: ‘The way we date, meet people, connect has been made a lot easier with the advent of dating apps – so that plays a role.
“Suddenly you have a lot of potential partners at your fingertips, and I think that can certainly play a role.”
Writing in the Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in 2018, researchers noted that apps have also been linked to an increase in fluid sexuality, meaning infections can be passed from different groups of partners.
This graph shows that 29 percent of total syphilis infections are now found in gay men, compared to almost 90 percent in the early 2000s.
The researchers, including Dr. Elizabeth Torrone of the CDC, said: ‘One hypothesis for the increasing numbers among heterosexual populations is increased mixing between sexual networks.
‘More and more men who have sex with both men and women act as ‘bridges’ between gay men and heterosexual networks.’
Covid could also have played a role, experts say, with an increase in sexual activity after lockdowns leading to more transmission
THE COVID ‘HANGOVER’ CONTINUES
The sudden return to socializing after the pandemic has led to a spike in sexually promiscuous behavior, experts say.
Americans are spending more intimate moments together to “make up for lost time.”
And the monkeypox outbreak hit the US in 2022, linked to sexual activity at LGBT events, with more than 30,000 cases diagnosed in the US to date.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, told DailyMail.com: ‘We had initially reduced STD rates in this country after the lockdowns.
‘But there was also less testing and then there was a very clear recovery.
‘The number of tests had fallen, the number of treatments had fallen, and that then fueled an epidemic.
‘When the Covid lockdowns were over, it led to a return to normal attitudes and perhaps a kind of party atmosphere – including more sex.’
She added: “It’s just not natural to tell people to stay away from each other – and that’s why I think a lot of those responses were compensatory.”
FIVE-FOLD INCREASE IN IV DRUG USE IN 7 YEARS
The U.S. opioid crisis has reached record levels, with an estimated 106,000 people dying from overdoses every month.
The number of people who inject drugs in the US has risen to at least three million since 2011, according to government data.
Doctors say these individuals are more likely to engage in risky sexual activities, for example to secure food or medicine.
They may also reuse needles and other materials that could be contaminated with syphilis.
The CDC reported a link between a spike in syphilis cases and meth use in 2019.
Experts found that between 2013 and 2017, the number of syphilis cases in heterosexual men and women who also used methamphetamine or injectable drugs more than doubled.
Drugs were also involved in another surge in syphilis in the 1990s, which experts say was linked to the increase in crack cocaine use.
Declining condom use may also play a role in the increase
FEWER GAY MEN USE CONDOMS
Condoms have been around in one form or another for decades as a way to prevent pregnancy and, more recently, stop sexually transmitted diseases.
But in recent years they have fallen out of favor among younger groups.
CDC data shows that condom use decreased from 75 percent of men surveyed to 42 percent between 2011 and 2021.
Dr. Cherabie says one possible reason for this could be the advent of highly effective HIV prevention treatments, such as PrEP, which dramatically reduces the risk of contracting HIV.
The drugs have led to a more “relaxed” attitude toward condom use among men who have sex with men, he adds.
But doctors warn that removing this barrier makes it easier for other sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis, to spread.
It is not entirely clear why condom use has declined among heterosexuals. However, some experts have suggested a reduction in funding for sex education, and the method’s increasing unpopularity may be to blame.