THE first national study of four common sexually transmitted diseases among girls and young women in the US has found that one in four is infected with at least one of the diseases.
Nearly half the blacks in the study of teenagers aged between 14 and 19 were infected with at least one of the diseases monitored in the study — human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis, a common parasite.
The 50% figure compared with 20% of white teenagers, health officials and researchers told a news conference at a meeting in Chicago.
The study's authors analysed data on 838 girls aged between 14 and 19 who participated in the 2003-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an annual study that assesses a broad range of health issues.
The two most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among all the participants tested were HPV, at 18%, and chlamydia, at 4%. Among the infected women, 15% had more than one sexually transmitted disease.
Women may be unaware that they are infected. But the diseases, which are infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites, can produce acute symptoms, including irritating vaginal discharge, painful pelvic inflammatory disease and potentially fatal ectopic pregnancy.
The infections can also lead to long-term ailments such as infertility and cervical cancer.
Health officials said the findings underscored the need to strengthen screening, vaccination and other prevention measures for the diseases, which are among the highest public health priorities.
About 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year among all age groups in the United States.
"High STD infection rates among young women, particularly young African-American women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk," said Dr John Douglas, who directs the division of STD prevention at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
20%? Hmmm... 20% of the major demographic is banging their sexual counterpart in a minor demographic that comprises less than 15% of the population as a whole and it's causing a 25% across the board epidemic of STDs.
I need to see more specific study and statistic. And video. Lots of video.
HPV infection. Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV, and another 6.2 million people become newly infected each year. At least 50% of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. source: [Click, Dick]
Including HPV in any study is going to pad the results.
krapsna wrote ... Including HPV in any study is going to pad the results.
I was just gonna post the same thing. HPV is almost unavoidable for sexually active people, and most people who have it never know it, but can still spread it.
