As people live longer and healthier lives, they are staying sexually active longer too. This has contributed to a significant rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks STIs. Over the past decade, overall reported cases have more than doubled.
The numbers are more dramatic for certain infections. Cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia among older adults in the U.S. have increased by more than four times. A 2024 report in The Lancet Healthy Longevity found a similar increase in STIs in older adults across the world.
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