According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 19 million new infections of sexual transmitted diseases occur every year in the United States. Consequently, the CDC estimates ʺSTDs cost the U.S. health care system $17 billion every year.ʺ
Also, the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States is chlamydia. In the United States, doctors are required to report gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis cases to the local and state health organizations.
The CDC reported that young people account for more than 50 percent of all STD cases. STDs can cause a lifetime of health complications. Some STDs, if left untreated, can make a woman sterile and rob her of the opportunity to have children. The CDC stated, ʺEach year, untreated STDs cause at least 24,000 women in the U.S. to become infertile.ʺ
STDs do not discriminate. All minorities and both sexes can be infected with an STD. If you are having any type of sex, you could be a candidate for an STD. It is important to take proper precautions if you are having any type of sex. Those types of precautions can include using a dental dam and condom.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are several types of STDs.
Those types of STDs include:
• Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)
• Chlamydia
• Chancroid
• Genital HPV Infection (HPV)
• Genital Herpes
• Gonorrhea
• Hepatitis Viral
• Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV)
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
• Pubic Lice Infestation
• Scabies
• Syphilis
• Trichomoniasis
The CDC recommends women have themselves tested regularly for STDs. For example, the CDC recommends ʺsexually active females 25 years old and younger need testing every year [for chlamydia].ʺ
Recently, the CDC discovered some very disturbing information regarding STDs. The 2010 data revealed the following information:
• 2010 saw a slight increase of more than 300,000 gonorrhea cases
• Other CDC surveillance systems report gonorrhea may become resistant to the only available treatment option
• Chlamydia cases have been increasing steadily over the past 20 years
• In 2010, 1.3 million chlamydia cases were reported
• Less than half of sexually active young women are screened annually as recommended by CDC
• For the first time in a decade, syphilis cases decreased. The cases are down 1.6 percent from 2009
• However, the rate of syphilis cases among young black men has increased more than 134 percent over the past five years
References:
Chlamydia - STD information from CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 6, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/default.htm
STD Trends in the United States, 2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 6, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats10/trends.htm
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Information from CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 6, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/std/default.htm
Reviewed December 6, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith