Information on Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexuality is part of our every day life.  What are you doing to educate yourself? Information on the most common sexually transmitted diseases is available on our STD education page.

STDs are everywhere--even in the United States

The United States has the highest sexually transmitted disease rates of any country in the industrialized world. - Kaiser Family Foundation, December, 1998.

Of the more than 15,000,000 new sexually transmitted disease infections each year:

• Two-thirds will occur in people under 25 years of age
• One in four will occur in teenagers

Every year, approximately 10,000,000,000 dollars is spent on major sexually transmitted diseases (other than AIDS) and their complications. This cost is shared by all Americans.

Today there are more than 30 sexually transmitted diseases and over 200 strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV).

A study in the United Kingdom found that HPV infects 46% of teenage girls after their first sexual intercourse. The human papilloma virus (HPV) is directly linked to 99.7% of all cervical cancers. Nearly as many women die of cervical cancer every year as die of AIDS.

Herpes increased 500% in the past 20 years among Caucasian American teens.

Nearly 50% of African-American teens have genital herpes.

Nearly 1 in 10 teen girls has chlamydia; nearly half of all chlamydia cases are girls ages 15-19.

Most teens with STDs show no immediate symptoms

Over 80% of teens with sexually transmitted diseases show no symptoms and therefore never get medical attention, leaving them exposed to the risk of serious complications years later. These same STD carriers then "share" the diseases with each and every sexual partner, thus rapidly spreading the STD.

In a national Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 1 out of every 5 sexually active teens reported that oral sex is safe sex. However, HIV, herpes, HPV, chancroid, intestinal parasites, gonorrhea, syphilis and hepatitis A & B can all be contracted through oral sex.

Not only do condoms not eliminate the risk of contracting an STD, they also do little to prevent many viral infections spread by skin-to-skin contact, such as HPV and herpes.

New studies show that clinical depression in adolescent males and females is directly related to sexual activity & drinking.

Resources:

• US Centers for Disease Control "Epidemic: Tracking the Hidden Epidemics: Trends in STDs in the United States 2000".
• US Centers for Disease Control "CDC Issues National Report Card on STDs: Gonorrhea and Syphilis Down, but Not Beaten: Chlamydia Continues to Spread Widely" 1998.
• National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, NIH, USHHS, "An Introduction to Sexually Transmitted Diseases" July 1999.
• NIAID & National Institutes of Health, "Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease STD) Prevention, 2001.
• The Medical Institute on Sexual Health, "Oral Sex and STDs" Fall 2003.
• UPMC News Bureau: "Magee-Womens Research Institute Study Finds Undiagnosed Sexually Transmitted Disease Infection Rate of Nearly 1 in 5 Among Adolescent Females" June 7, 2001.
• The Medical Institute on Sexual Health, General Information, studies, statistics, more.
• US Centers for Disease Control, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Information.