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

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.

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.