• Apps make it easier to find a partner, so it isn’t surprising to see an increase in STDs with an increase in number of partners, although there's little data to show that app use equates to more.
• Gay men who hook up by using smartphone apps may be at higher risk for some sexually transmitted infections than men who find sexual partners through online dating, or in bars and clubs, a new.
• A new billboard linking dating apps with an increase in sexually transmitted disease rates spurred one app – Tinder – to issue a cease and desist order against the group behind it.
• The Rhode Island Department of Health is attributing part of the state’s sharp increase in sexually transmitted diseases to hookup apps like Tinder and Grindr.

More cases of sexually transmitted diseases were reported last year than ever before, federal officials said Wednesday — just as state and local health departments that could help fight them lose funding.

More than 1.5 million people were reported with chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The CDC recorded nearly 400,000 cases of gonorrhea and nearly 24,000 cases of syphilis.

The point of hook up apps is to facilitate the entire dating process but the. Keeping in mind the prevalent opinion that STDs cannot be contracted with.

'The STD epidemic is getting worse in the United States and, in fact, is at its highest levels yet,' said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

The CDC reported a record year for STDs in 2014, also, but the trend is worsening, Mermin told NBC News.

'Last year was the first year that we saw increases but those increases are actually continuing and at a higher rate,' Mermin said.

Related: 3 Common STDs Are Becoming Untreatable

The new numbers translate to a 19 percent increase in syphilis cases, a 13 percent rise in gonorrhea and a 6 percent increase in chlamydia, Mermin said.

While some of the new numbers may be due to better reporting of cases, most of the rise appears to be a real increase in new infections, he said.

“There is no evidence that talking about sexually transmitted disease prevention increases sexual activity.'

Gay and bisexual men account for many of the new cases, and the biggest numbers are among young adults, especially those in their late teens and early 20s. 'Half of all STDs occur in youth under age 20,' Mermin said.

Part of the increase may be due to better treatment for HIV, which may make people believe — usually wrongly — they do not need to use condoms. CDC officials say.

At the same time, state and local health departments are losing funding.

'That is correlated with an eroding infrastructure for sexually transmitted disease clinics,' Mermin said. 'In 2012 alone, half of state public health programs had to close some of those clinics.'

That means young people most vulnerable to new infection have fewer places to go for help, advice, testing and treatment, he said.

All three infections can be cured with antibiotics, but people often don’t even know they are infected. In the early stages none of them cause obvious symptoms.

Mermin said talking openly about STDs can help. 'Parents and providers and teachers can provide young people with safe and effective ways to prevent STDs,' he said. 'Good sex education prevents STDs.'

Related: CDC Finds Ongoing, Severe Epidemic of STDs

And Mermin has a ready answer for people who fear talking about sex might create an expectation among youths that they should be having sex.

'There is no evidence that talking about sexually transmitted disease prevention increases sexual activity,' he said.

“The dating apps can also be vectors of prevention by increasing the amount of prevention information that people can see and also by linking people to STD and HIV testing.'

Some pregnant women are falling through the gaps and having babies infected with syphilis at birth, the CDC statistics show. Mermin said there’s no excuse for this.

'Clinicians can make STD screening a standard part of clinical care,' he said.

'The way to prevent infants from dying of syphilis is to help women get diagnosed and treated when they are pregnant,' Mermin said.

Congenital syphilis cases hit a record high in 2015, CDC said. More than 430 babies were born with syphilis. 'Up to 40 percent of babies born to women with untreated syphilis may be stillborn, or die from the infection as a newborn,' the CDC said.

Related: Survey Suggests 2 Million People Have Chlamydia

While some women get no prenatal care at all — about 22 percent of women whose babies were born infected had no prenatal care in 2014 — others may be tested early in pregnancy but not later on, he said.

An earlier CDC report showed that 43 percent of pregnant women with syphilis who did see a doctor or other health professional while pregnant nonetheless got no treatment for the infection.

All pregnant women should be tested again in the third trimester of pregnancy, he said.

While some reports have linked dating and hook-up apps with an increase in STDs in some communities, Mermin said there’s no hard evidence to show cause and effect. And he said such apps can be tools for good.

'The dating apps can also be vectors of prevention by increasing the amount of prevention information that people can see and also by linking people to STD and HIV testing,' he said.

Maggie Fox is a senior writer for NBC News and TODAY, covering health policy, science, medical treatments and disease.

We live in an insane technological world, where with just a few clicks on a smartphone, we possess the luxury of meeting someone entirely new. With that luxury, however, comes risk.

The Rhode Island Department of Health is attributing part of the state’s sharp increase in sexually transmitted diseases to hookup apps like Tinder and Grindr.

Between 2013 and 2014, syphilis cases in Rhode Island rose by 79%, while gonorrhea cases rose by 30%. New HIV cases, meanwhile, spiked by 33%, according to a state press release.

Young adults are the group most affected by these statistics. Those between the ages of 15 and 24 made up most new cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea.

A written statement by the department says that in addition to increased testing, “using social media to arrange casual and often anonymous sexual encounters, having sex without a condom, having multiple sex partners, and having sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol” were all to blame for the state’s STD epidemic.

In order to combat the increased spread, The Rhode Island Department of Health is assisting in funding programs to broaden sexual health awareness and implement safe-sex seminars within schools.

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An HIV/AIDS Sexuality Specialist for the department, Rosemary Reilly-Chammat, explained:

Tinder

“These new data underscore the importance of encouraging young people to begin talking to a doctor, nurse, or health educator about sexual health before becoming sexually active and especially after becoming sexually active.”

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The uptick in STD cases are in line with a national trend, the department said. A 2013 study conducted by New York University linked a 16% increase in new HIV cases across 33 states to Craigslist.

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With all of this in mind, the next time you meet up with someone you’ve swiped right to, remember to be careful and protect yourself.