| |
It isn't easy to determine exactly how many people are affected
by sexually transmitted infections.
Because so many infections are "silent" and have no
symptoms, and the only way to diagnose
them is through
testing. Yet because of embarassment
and the stigma surrounding STIs, people often
feel uncofortable talking about sexual
health with their healthcare providers.
Providers can be reluctant to bring
up the subject too.
What we do know is that STIs are very, very common. About 19
million people a year will be diagnosed
with an STI. 19 million!And right now in the U.S.,
it is estimated that more than 65
million people
are living with a viral STI.
Young people are among the groups most heavily impacted by the
STI epidemic. Conider these facts:
- Each year, one in four teens contracts an STI.
- One in two sexually active persons will contract an STI
by age 25.
- More than half of all people will contract an STI in their
lifetime.
- HPV (the cause of genital warts and cervical cell changes)
is the most common STI .
- In a national survey of U.S. doctors, fewer than one-third
routinely tested their patients for
STIs.
- Less than half of adults ages 18 to 44 have ever been tested
for an STI other than HIV .
- About half of all new STI cases in 2000 occured among young
people ages 15 to 24.
- Of the STI that are diagnsed, only some (gonorrhea, syphilis,
chlamydia, hepatitis A and B) are
required to be reported to state
health departments and the CDC .
- One in two sexually active persons will contract an STI
by age 25.
STIs are common and affect people of all ages and backgrounds. Learn ways to protect
yourself.
|
