These are the 3 most common STDs, CDC says

STD rates have risen. Again. According to preliminary data released from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the number of people contracting sexually transmitted diseases has increased for the fourth straight year.

In 2017, nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in America. This surpasses the 2016 figure by roughly 200,000 cases. Chlamydia is the most common STD, making up 1.7 million cases last year, but the rise in gonorrhea is particularly concerning for men. CDC data reveals that gonorrhea rates doubled in guys from 2016 to 2017.

Given the latest numbers, it's surprising that STD rates were on the decline just a decade earlier, MensHealth.com previously reported.

Jonathan Mermin, M.D., M.P.H, and the director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, believes the country's limited resources are to blame for this regression.

“We are sliding backward,” he said in a statement. “It is evident the systems that identify, treat, and ultimately prevent STDs are strained to near-breaking point.”

Why are STD rates rising?

Federal budget cuts caused STD clinics across the country to close over the past decade, MensHealth.com previously reported. This makes it more difficult and less accessible for people to get tested and treated. For example, more than 20 health department STD clinics were closed in 2012, according to a 2016 CDC report.

The best way to stop the spread of STDs is by using condoms and getting tested regularly. If you are sexually active, it's best to get tested for STDS once a year, even if you're monogamous.