Rise in STDs impacts teens and young adults – despite comprehensive sex-education programs
Rise In STDs Impacts Teens and Young Adults – Despite Comprehensive Sex-education Programs
When President George W. Bush incorporated abstinence-only education as part of his strategy to protect children and to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), advocates of comprehensive sex education (condom-based) became outraged. They argued all sex education programs must include safe-sex practices and that condom use was necessary to reduce unintended pregnancies and STDs.
Supporters of both comprehensive sex-education and abstinence-centered programs agree that the primary goal of any program should be the prevention of teen pregnancy, the prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases and the need for abortions. However, how well have current efforts accomplished the stated goals?
While United States’ teen birth rates remain higher than any other developed nation, the recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal the current failure of U.S. comprehensive sex-education programs in preventing sexually transmitted diseases. According to the CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance for 2008, the rates of the three most-common sexually transmitted diseases – chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – are on the rise after experiencing several years of decline. Based on the study, the number of reported chlamydia cases increased from 1.1 million in 2007 to 1.2.million in 2008. There were 336,742 reported cases of gonorrhea in 2008, according to the study. After almost eliminating syphilis in the late 1990s and early 2000s, syphilis appears to be on the rise again; there was an 18 percent increase in 2008 based on 13,500 reported cases.
Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, if detected, are treatable. However, untreated cases can result in infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy (i.e., tubal pregnancy), infection in newborns, or HIV. John Douglas, director of the sexually transmitted disease division at CDC, states, “…we (the United States) have among the highest rates of [sexually-transmitted infections] of any developed country in the world.”
Further, women, teens, blacks and men who have sex with men (MSM) disproportionately experience higher rates of STDs according to the study. CDC estimates that there are 19 million new STD( cases a year, nearly half are found among 15- to 24-year-olds.
The following are several surprising facts that raise concerns regarding the rise of STDs:
Valerie Huber, the Executive Director of the National Abstinence Education Association, agrees that there must be “increased efforts to prevent the transmission of STDs, by providing accurate information and skill-building tools implicit in abstinence-centered education. She further notes that “fewer than 1 in 4 teens have access to this educational strategy.”
Posted on November 19, 2009
When President George W. Bush incorporated abstinence-only education as part of his strategy to protect children and to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), advocates of comprehensive sex education (condom-based) became outraged. They argued all sex education programs must include safe-sex practices and that condom use was necessary to reduce unintended pregnancies and STDs.
Supporters of both comprehensive sex-education and abstinence-centered programs agree that the primary goal of any program should be the prevention of teen pregnancy, the prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases and the need for abortions. However, how well have current efforts accomplished the stated goals?
While United States’ teen birth rates remain higher than any other developed nation, the recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal the current failure of U.S. comprehensive sex-education programs in preventing sexually transmitted diseases. According to the CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance for 2008, the rates of the three most-common sexually transmitted diseases – chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – are on the rise after experiencing several years of decline. Based on the study, the number of reported chlamydia cases increased from 1.1 million in 2007 to 1.2.million in 2008. There were 336,742 reported cases of gonorrhea in 2008, according to the study. After almost eliminating syphilis in the late 1990s and early 2000s, syphilis appears to be on the rise again; there was an 18 percent increase in 2008 based on 13,500 reported cases.
Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, if detected, are treatable. However, untreated cases can result in infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy (i.e., tubal pregnancy), infection in newborns, or HIV. John Douglas, director of the sexually transmitted disease division at CDC, states, “…we (the United States) have among the highest rates of [sexually-transmitted infections] of any developed country in the world.”
Further, women, teens, blacks and men who have sex with men (MSM) disproportionately experience higher rates of STDs according to the study. CDC estimates that there are 19 million new STD( cases a year, nearly half are found among 15- to 24-year-olds.
The following are several surprising facts that raise concerns regarding the rise of STDs:
- 15- to 19-year-old women had the highest rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea compared to other age/sex groups.
- Chlamydia rates increased 9.8 percent from 2007 to 2008.
- Chlamydia rates for 15- to 19-year-old men increased 14.8 percent from 2007 to 2008.
- Rates among 15- to 19-year-old women and men have increased annually since 2004 and 2002, respectively.
- From 2004 to 2008, Chlamydia rates in blacks increased by 27 percent.
- 63 percent of syphilis cases were among men who have sex with men (MSM).
Valerie Huber, the Executive Director of the National Abstinence Education Association, agrees that there must be “increased efforts to prevent the transmission of STDs, by providing accurate information and skill-building tools implicit in abstinence-centered education. She further notes that “fewer than 1 in 4 teens have access to this educational strategy.”
Posted on November 19, 2009
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