| Source: Division of STD Prevention.
Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 1999. Department of Health
and Human Services, Atlanta: Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), September 2000. |
| Source: Westrom L. Incidence,
Prevalence, and Trends of Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and Its
Consequences in Industrialized Countries. American Journal of
Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1980: 138, 880-92 |
|
What age group is at greatest risk for
acquiring an STD? |
Adolescents and young adults (15-24) are the age groups with
the greatest risk for acquiring an STD. Approximately 2/3rds of
all people who get an STD are under 25. The Center for Disease
Control states that adolescents and young adults are at greater
risk for many reasons, including:
|
- They may have less immunity (ability to fight a disease) than
adults
- They may be more likely to have more than one sexual partner
- They may be more likely to engage in unprotected intercourse
- They may select partners at higher risk
- Age at start of sexual activity has decreased while age at
first marriage has increased, resulting in more sexual
intercourse outside of marriage.
|
| Source: Division of STD Prevention.
Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 1999. Department of Health
and Human Services, Atlanta: Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), September 2000. |
| Eng TR, Butler WT, eds. The Institute
of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997. |
|
What about HIV /AIDS? Am I at risk? |
- An estimated 25% of new HIV infections are found in people
under age 22.
- An estimated 50% of all new HIV infections occur among people
under 25, with the majority being infected by sexual contact
with a person carrying the disease.
|
| Source: Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. HIV Prevention Strategic Plan Through 2005.
September 2000. |
|
What is HPV? |
- Human Papilloma virus (HPV) is an STD that causes genital
warts.
- HPV also causes more than 90 percent of all cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer takes the lives of about 5,000 American women
yearly, and condoms provide almost no protection against HPV.
- It is estimated 5.5 million new infections occur each year
with at least 20 million people currently infected.
|
| Source: National Institutes of Health.
(April 1-3, 1996). Cervical Cancer: NIH Consensus Development
Statement, Online, 43(1), 1-30. |
| Source: American Social Health
Association. (1998, December) Sexually Transmitted Disease in
America: How Many Cases and at What Cost? Menlo Park, Calif.: Kaiser
Family Foundation |
|
Which STDs are stopped by using condoms? |
- Condoms do not provide complete protection against HIV and
gonorrhea.
- They are less effective protecting against trichomonas and
chlamydia.
- Condoms provide no protection against bacterial vaginosis, HPV
(the most common STD) and herpes.
|
| Source: Cates, W. Jr. & Stone, K.M.
(1992, March/April). Family Planning, Sexually Transmitted Diseases
and Contraceptive Choice: A Literature Update-Part I. Family
Planning Perspectives, 24(2), 75-84 |
|
Can STDs be cured? |
Viral STDs pose a major problem, because no medical cure has
been found for any virus - not even the common cold! This means if
a person becomes infected with a viral STD (such as herpes, HPV or
HIV) there is no cure. A vaccine for herpes has been rumored for
years, but has not yet been produced. Antiviral drugs reduce the
number of outbreaks a person with herpes experiences, but they
cannot eliminate the outbreaks entirely. Chlamydia and gonorrhea
can be "cured" with antibiotics, but can leave scars,
which often require future treatment and may cause infertility.
Also it’s important to know that certain strains of gonorrhea
are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
A cure, or vaccine, for the HIV virus is probably years away.
We do know, however, that even if vaccines or cures for these
infections were available today, the STD problem would not be
solved.
|
| Source: Medical Institute of Sexual
Health, "Frequently Asked Questions" |
