The epidemic of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States appears to be cooling off after more than two decades, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study says.

The number of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the United States in 2023 was down nearly 2% from the year before, a sign the epidemic could be slowing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.

I see a glimmer of hope amidst millions of STIs,” Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday shows meaningful declines in STI rates between 2022 and 2023.

Although sexually transmitted infections are still at an epidemic level in the US, scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expressing cautious optimism about some decreases emerging in the newest data.