Despite accounting for approximately 20% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States, cisgender women are consistently under-represented and under-engaged in HIV prevention services such as HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Black and Latina cisgender woman (BLCW) are disproportionately impacted by HIV, and face additional barriers to accessing prevention services due to racial/ethnic bias, sexism, and their intersection. Offering self-testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV is one potential strategy for increasing access to-and engagement in-preventative sexual health care among BLCW.

Over the past two decades, congenital syphilis cases have risen 11-fold in the United States. While disparities across geography, race, and ethnicity exist, lack of timely screening or treatment is identified in 88% of cases nationally. Congenital syphilis is a public health and medical problem rooted in systematic and societal structural determinants of health and healthcare limitations. Early syphilis in pregnancy leads to congenital syphilis if untreated in 50 - 70% of cases, with risk for fetal demise, and among survivors, congenital anomalies, organ damage, and central nervous system disease. Prevention of congenital syphilis lies in early detection and treatment in pregnant persons. In this narrative review, we describe the evolving epidemiology of syphilis and congenital syphilis, highlighting unique aspects among women. We explore the role of novel screening and treatment strategies, public health policy, and medical considerations in terms of congenital syphilis prevention. Readers of this review will understand CS as a complex public health and medical disease that can be prevented through innovative and coordinated strategies in public health policy, expanded screening and research opportunities.

Follow-up testing is recommended three months after patients initially test positive with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC). Follow-up testing adherence in the United States has been reported below one third of women, even in universally insured populations. We assessed both the positivity of CT and GC infections in female basic military trainees and the rates of follow-up testing for those who tested positive.

Substantial gaps in reporting gonorrhea treatment and prompt ES treatment were observed. Practice-level interventions to facilitate reporting gonorrhea treatment and provide prompt ES treatment are needed.

The 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development includes targets to end sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as a major public health threat. STI prevalence data to inform strategies towards this goal are lacking in middle and low-income countries, especially among men.

Female sex workers (FSW) have a higher burden of sexually transmitted infections (STI), including Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), than the non-sex worker population, mainly due to social vulnerability and work-related factors. This large study evaluated the anatomical site distribution of NG, and specifically the occurrence of single-site pharyngeal NG, among FSW visiting Dutch STI clinics in the Netherlands.

Congenital syphilis (CS) continues to pose a significant global challenge. There has been a marked increase in reported cases in the US, with 102.5 cases per 100,000 live births in 2022 compared to 11.6 cases per 100,000 live births in 2014. CS can lead to a range of severe complications, including premature birth, intrauterine growth restriction, miscarriage, perinatal death, stillbirth, and postnatal complications that may persist into later life. Maternal/parental factors such as age, race/ethnicity, occupation, income level, access to healthcare services, and incarceration have been linked to higher rates of CS. Additionally, pregnant individuals who engage in high-risk behaviors such as sex work, having multiple sexual partners, or substance use are at a higher risk of exposure and subsequent infection. Routine screening for syphilis during pregnancy is crucial for its detection, timely management, and prevention of CS. The asymptomatic nature of the latent stage of syphilis further underscores the importance of prenatal syphilis screening. Studies in various countries have shown that early or first antenatal care visit screening for CS is cost-effective. This review article critically evaluates the current knowledge of CS in the US, including its prevalence, social determinants of health, prevention efforts, challenges, the significance of screening, and the call to action to address the rising trend.

Developments in natural language processing (NLP) and unsupervised machine learning methodologies (e.g., clustering) have given researchers new tools to analyze both structured and unstructured health data. We applied these methods to 2019 Ohio disease intervention specialist (DIS) syphilis records, to determine whether these methods can uncover novel patterns of co-occurrence of individual characteristics, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of syphilis that are not yet reported in the literature.

Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) reduces chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transwomen (TW). Perspectives of health care providers (HCPs) regarding doxy-PEP can inform implementation efforts.

ChatGPT, a large language model artificial intelligence platform that uses natural language processing, has seen its implementation across a number of sectors, notably in healthcare. However, there remains limited understanding regarding the efficacy of ChatGPT in addressing commonly asked questions on public health subjects. This study aimed to investigate whether ChatGPT could appropriately answer frequently asked questions related to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including syphilis, pose a significant public health challenge. The advent of social media platforms has revolutionized health information dissemination, with YouTube and TikTok emerging as prominent sources. However, concerns persist regarding the reliability of syphilis-related content on these platforms. This study aimed to evaluate the quality and accuracy of syphilis-related content on TikTok and YouTube, employing established tools such as DISCERN, Accuracy in Digital-health Instrument (ANDI), and Global Quality Scale (GQS).

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection. Manifestations include asymptomatic infection and disseminated, life-threatening disease. We present two cases of mitral valve gonococcal endocarditis and discuss epidemiologic trends in disseminated gonococcal infection, acknowledging antimicrobial resistance, genetic variability in gonococcal strains, and contextual factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic and STI control.

In the US, gaps in health care insurance coverage correlate with lower use of preventive care. We aimed to determine whether part-year or year-round uninsurance was associated with lower use of testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The 2022 mpox outbreak disproportionately affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Mpox cases continue to be reported nationally. Vaccination is a tool to prevent the spread of and serious disease from mpox. To understand mpox vaccine uptake and hesitancy, a virtual focus group with unvaccinated GBMSM was conducted.

There is growing interest in novel sexually transmissible infection (STI) prevention strategies, including doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP). We assessed interest in doxy-PEP and other STI prevention strategies among gay and bisexual men and non-binary people in Australia, as well as prior antibiotic use for STI prevention, and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

While self-sampling could help address anal cancer screening barriers, no studies have investigated annual engagement with this method or compared it to annual screening with a provider. Building on our baseline paper,(7) we compared annual anal screening engagement between home-based self-sampling and clinic-based clinician sampling.

While some experts recommend anal cancer screening for disproportionally affected populations including people living with HIV (PWH), condyloma acuminata, human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated gynecologic dysplasia and cancers, and solid organ transplants, actual screening practices remain understudied. Our objective was to characterize anal cancer screening practices among higher-risk populations in an academic medical system with access to high-resolution anoscopy (HRA).

Bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), specifically infection by Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Treponema pallidum, have an important burden worldwide. The use of doxycycline as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PREP or Doxy-PREP) or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP or Doxy-PEP) might be effective as prophylaxis since it is effective against C. trachomatis and T. pallidum.

Men reporting same-sex behaviors are disproportionately impacted by sexually transmitted infections (STI). Differences in clinical characteristics and STIs in men who have sex with men only (MSMO), with men and women (MSMW), and with women only (MSW) are not well described.

Assisted partner services (APS) is an effective strategy for testing people with undiagnosed HIV but there is limited information on the relative reach and effectiveness of phone versus in-person contact.