Older people a ‘worrying’ cause of STIs

Someone has already sent Grandpa a box of condoms.

New obscenity statistics reveal that sex-obsessed seniors are the main reason for a massive rise in sexually transmitted diseases across the country, while surprisingly one state has the worst rise in obscenity crimes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 2.5 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia were reported in the U.S. in 2022 (the latest data source). Experts warn that the numbers for 2023 are expected to be “even worse.”

Health officials are now expressing “concern” about the ongoing outbreak and the “urgent need” to address it.

Statistics show that in the 10 years between 2012 and 2022, the infection rates of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia among sexually active people over the age of 55 in the United States more than doubled.

In the past decade, the number of syphilis cases in this age group has increased sevenfold, gonorrhea cases have increased nearly fivefold, and chlamydia cases have more than tripled.

According to the Daily Mail, older adults with sex addiction in South Dakota are the most at-risk group, with the highest syphilis rates at 6.1 per 100,000 people.

Washington, D.C., has the highest rate of gonorrhea diagnoses, with about 29 cases per 100,000 people.

Alaska recorded the highest rate of chlamydia infection among seniors, with nearly 18 cases per 100,000 people.

Sexually transmitted infections pose a health risk to people of all ages. However, older adults may have a harder time clearing the infection or may even be more susceptible to contracting it.

Experts say there are many factors behind the rising rates of sexually transmitted infections among older adults.

People are living longer and leading more active lifestyles. A 2018 survey by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) found that 40% of people aged 65 to 80 are sexually active, and nearly two-thirds are interested in sex.

But another survey by the AARP found that only 8% of sexually active seniors said they always used condoms.

It is said that many elderly people lack knowledge about the transmission and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. They usually do not think of using condoms because they do not worry about pregnancy.

“In the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, sex education was not formally taught in traditional schools,” Matthew Lee Smith, an associate professor at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, told NBC News.

Beyond that, health care providers are often reluctant to discuss sexual activity with older patients, and older adults may be reluctant to talk about their sex lives with others.

“No one wants to imagine their grandma doing that,” Smith said. “You certainly don’t ask your grandma if she used a condom — and that’s part of the problem, because everyone has the right to be intimate, regardless of age.”

Additionally, some older men have difficulty using condoms due to flexibility issues or erectile dysfunction. Meanwhile, hormone replacement therapy and erectile dysfunction medications can enhance libido and sexual activity.

Many older people who had just one sexual partner before divorce or widowhood now have multiple partners — especially because women live longer than men and have fewer romantic options.

Late last year, the Department of Health and Human Services established the National Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis Co-prevalence (NSCSS) federal task force to help slow the spread of the disease, but its impact has yet to be realized.

However, NCSD cautioned that the 2022 data does not reflect the impact of a shortage of Bicillin LA, a drug used to treat congenital syphilis, that began last spring, nor the impact of STI workforce cuts resulting from last summer’s debt ceiling agreement.

“The reality is that the 2023 numbers will be much worse,” the NCSD said.

However, older Americans aren’t the only ones health experts are worried about.

The World Health Organization has warned of a “dramatic decline” in condom use among adolescents, which is expected to lead to a range of consequences, including rising rates of sexually transmitted infections and increased health-care costs.