Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

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.

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How long have STDs been around?

Before 1980 the most common STDs were syphilis and gonorrhea. Since 1980 there are at least 25 new STDs that have been identified, including HIV/AIDS.

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Is there really that big of a risk for me to get an STD?

STDs accounted for 87 percent of all cases among the top ten most frequently reported infections in the U.S. during 1997. Five of the top 10 reportable infectious disease in 1997 were either exclusively or largely transmitted during sex, including the top four (chlamydia, gonorrhea, AIDS and syphilis).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summary of Notifiable Disease, US 1998. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1999;47(53):1-93.

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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.
  
  
• 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 percent of all Americans
  age 12 and older are infected with genital herpes.

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

Source: Fleming, D, et al. Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in the United States, 1976-1994. N Engl J Med. 1997;337(16): 1105-1111

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Are teens more at risk for STDs?

• Teen girls have a higher rate of chlamydia,
  a disease that is a common cause of pelvic inflammatory
  disease (PID), which can lead to infertility in older women.
  
  
• At least 10 percent of all sexually active
  teens are infected with this PID.
  
  
• 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).

Source: Westrom L. Incidence, Prevalence, and Trends of Acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and Its Consequences in Industrialized Countries. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1980: 138, 880-92.

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What age group is at greatest risk for acquiring an STD?

Adolescents and young adults (15-24) are the age groups with the greatest risk for acquiring an STD. Approximately 2/3 of all people who get an STD are under 25. The Center for Disease Control states that adolescents and young adults are at greater risk for many reasons, including:

• They may have less immunity (ability
  to fight a disease) than adults
  
  
• They may be more likely to
  have more than one sexual partner
  
  
• They may be more likely to engage
  in unprotected intercourse
  
  
• They may select partners at higher risk
  
  
• Age at start of sexual activity has
  decreased while age at first marriage has
  increased, resulting in more sexual
  intercourse outside of marriage.

Source: Division of STD Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 1999. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), September 2000.

Eng TR, Butler WT, eds. The Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.

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Which STDs are stopped by using condoms?

• 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) and herpes.

Source: Cates, W. Jr. & Stone, K.M. (1992, March/April). Family Planning, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Contraceptive Choice: A Literature Update-Part I. Family Planning Perspectives, 24(2), 75-84

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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.

A cure, or vaccine, for the HIV virus is probably years away. We do know, however, that even if vaccines or cures for these infections were available today, the STD problem would not be solved.