Good news: Rates of sexually transmitted infections are down — and, in some cases, way down — in New Mexico, despite the state’s yearslong struggle with higher-than-average numbers.
Rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis — a severe infection in which syphilis is passed from mother to baby during pregnancy and birth — decreased by 18.6% and 32.4%, respectively, between 2024 and 2025, according to data released Monday by the New Mexico Department of Health. Rates of infection from chlamydia and gonorrhea dropped during that time period too.
Andrew Gans, communicable disease bureau chief for the state Health Department, said the decreases might indicate statewide interventions — like universal syphilis testing and expanded STI testing — have started to work.
But he said that’s no reason for the state to halt its efforts — or for New Mexicans to forgo safe sex practices.
“You’ve got to keep your foot on the gas, as they say,” Gans said. “We still are doing an annual public health order and encouraging universal testing. We’re still doing all our interventions. We still offer free testing. We want it to go down more.”
Sexually transmitted infections are passed from one partner to another during sex. They can be either bacterial, which are curable through proper treatment, or viral, which are treatable but not curable, said Janine Waters, sexually transmitted disease program manager at the New Mexico Department of Health.
Condoms can prevent the spread of STIs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, a 2019 survey conducted by the federal agency showed only about a quarter of women and a third of men ages 15 to 49 reported using a condom “every time” they had sex. Pharmaceutical prophylaxes — like PrEP or doxycycline, better known as doxy PEP — can also prevent infection.
Waters noted STIs are often symptomless, meaning they can go undetected until an infected person gets tested.
“It’s best to know what your status is,” she said. “It’s the only way to kind of know where your sexual health is, and it’s important for us to keep New Mexicans sexually healthy.”
In recent years, New Mexico has seen higher-than-usual rates of disease transmission through sex. Rates of chlamydia in the state have outpaced national averages nearly every year since 1989, state Health Department data from 2024 shows. Gonorrhea rates in New Mexico were higher than national averages from 2016 to 2022.
High rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis were of particular concern to public health officials. Syphilis is curable, but infection can advance to the heart, the brain, the eyes and can result ultimately in death if left untreated. Congenital syphilis — also preventable as long as the mother is tested and treated appropriately at least 30 days before delivery — can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity and other serious health complications for the baby.
Syphilis spiked in New Mexico from 2017 to 2023, prompting the state Health Department to issue public health orders requiring universal syphilis testing for all adults 18 through 50 plus three such tests during pregnancy. The state saw its first decreases in rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis in 2024.
That downward trend continued in 2025 as rates of syphilis and congenital syphilis dropped significantly between 2024 and 2025, the latest Health Department data show. Chlamydia rates decreased 5.1% and gonorrhea rates declined 6.1% over the same period.
The CDC has yet to release STI rate data for 2025, but Gans said New Mexico has likely dropped out of the top five states with the highest rates of congenital syphilis.
The year-over-year decreases come after about five years of ramped-up screening efforts, spreading awareness about testing and treatment resources, and ensuring positive tests are reported to the state in a timely manner, Gans said.
That work won’t slow down any time soon.
“It’s a good time to kind of celebrate and redouble our efforts,” he said.