A sexually transmitted disease is a disease that is contracted through sexual exposure. It is possible that if you have been sexually active at all, you could be at risk of having an STD. Below is more information about these diseases.

How Long Have STD’s Been Around?

Before 1980 the most common STD’s were syphilis and gonorrhea. Since 1980 there are at least 25 new STDs that have been identified, including HIV/AIDS. (see *1 below for for source)

How Many People Are Infected With An STD?

In the United States it is estimated that there are more than 68 million current STDs

Each year, 15.3 million new STD infections occur, including over 3 million infections in teens (*2)

The two most common STDs, herpes and human papilloma virus (HPV) account for 65 of the 68 million current infections

It is estimated that 20% of all Americans age 12 and older are infected with genital herpes (*3)

Are Teens More At Risk For STDs?

Teen girls have a higher rate of chlamydia

At least 10% of all sexually active teens are infected with this pelvic inflammatory disease (*4)

Among women, gonorrhea rates are highest among teen girls ages 15-19

The risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is as much as 10 times greater for 15-year-old females than for 24-year-old females. PID can cause sterility (inability to get pregnant) (*5)

What is HPV?

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is an STD that causes genital warts. HPV also causes more than 90% of all cervical cancer. (*6) Cervical Cancer takes the lives of about 5,000 American women yearly, and condoms provide almost no protection against HPV. It is estimated 5.5 million new infections occur each year with at least 20 million people currently infected. (*7)

What Age Group Is At Greatest Risk for Acquiring an STD?

What About HIV/AIDS? Am I at Risk?

Yes, you are at risk.

An estimated 25% of new HIV infections are found in people under the age of 22.

An estimated 50% of all new HIV infections occur among people under 25, with the majority being infected by sexual contact with a person carrying the disease. (*9)

Will Condoms Prevent STD Infections?

Condoms provide some (though not complete) protection against HIV and gonorrhea. They are less effective protecting against trichomonas and chlamydia. Condoms provide no protection against bacterial vaginosis, HPV (the most common STD) or herpes. Remember, many women still get pregnant when their partner uses a condom. STD viruses are many times smaller than sperm so even with condom use, you are at risk for STDs.

Can STDs Be Cured?

While medical science has made great advances, the growth of STD infections continue to spread. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can be “cured” with antibiotics, but can leave scars, which often require future treatment and may cause infertility. And certain strains of gonorrhea are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

Viral STDs pose a major problem, because no medical cure has been found for any virus – not even the common cold! This means if a person becomes infected with a viral STD (such as herpes, HPV or HIV) there is no cure. A vaccine for herpes has been rumored for years, but has not yet been produced. Antiviral drugs reduce the number of outbreaks a person with herpes experiences, but they cannot eliminate the outbreaks entirely. (*10)

For information on the symptoms and complications of the more common STDs, use the button below

Sources:

Source: Eng TR, Butler WT, eds. The Hidden Epidemic-Confronting Sexually Transmitted Disease, Institute of Medicine, Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press 1997

*2

Source: American Social Health Association. Sexually Transmitted Disease in America: How Many Cases and at What Cost? Menlo Park, Calif: Kaiser Family Foundation, 1998