We are getting lax as a nation when it comes to protecting ourselves during sex. After steady declines in recent years, 2015 became the second year in a row in which there were increases in all three nationally reported STDs.

There were approximately 1.5 million cases of chlamydia reported this past year, representing the highest number of annual cases of any condition ever reported to CDC.

Syphilis infection can also place a person at increased risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection.

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Increases were also seen among reported cases of gonorrhea and syphilis. The CDC estimates that nearly 20 million new sexually transmitted infections occur every year in this country — half of these among young people aged 15–24 — and they account for almost $16 billion in health care costs.

While young people and women are most severely affected by STDs, increasing rates among men contributed to the overall increase in 2015 across all diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Syphilis, which has seen declining rates since 1941, is also increasing at an alarming rate. While rates have increased among both men and women, men account for more than 90 percent of all primary and secondary syphilis cases.

Primary and secondary syphilis are the most infectious stages of the disease, and if not adequately treated, can lead to long-term infection which can cause visual impairment and stroke. Syphilis infection can also place a person at increased risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection.

Health officials with the CDC state in their annual report, Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2015, that many cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis continue to go undiagnosed and unreported, and data on several additional STDs — such as human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis — are not routinely reported to CDC. As a result, the annual surveillance report captures only a fraction of the true burden of STDs in America.

Related: One Less HPV Shot for Teens

The health concern isn’t a minor one, these infections are a potential threat to an individual’s immediate and long-term health and well-being. In addition to increasing a person’s risk for acquiring and transmitting HIV infection, STDs can lead to chronic pain and severe reproductive health complications, such as infertility and ectopic pregnancy.