Minnesota Department of Health tracking sexually transmitted diseases

(KNOX) – The Minnesota Department of Health says overall, sexually transmitted infections decreased by 3% from 2022 to 2023…but the department says STIs are still a significant issue.
During that same time period… there were 324 newly diagnosed HIV infections, a 24% increase from 2022 and the largest number of HIV infections in more than a decade.
Additionally, there were 29 cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs when a pregnant person passes their syphilis infection on to their fetus.
The department is also watching increasing trends of chlamydia and gonorrhea.
To reduce the risk of contracting STIs and HIV includes consistent and correct condom use during sex and not sharing equipment used for injection drug use, tattoos or piercing.