HALF of Young Americans to Get Sex Diseases - Study

Yahoo! News (Reuters) ^ | 2/24/2004 | Maggie Fox

[Pyro7480]

Half of Young Americans to Get Sex Diseases -Study

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Half of all young Americans will get a sexually transmitted disease by the age of 25, perhaps because they are ignorant about protection or embarrassed to ask for it, according to several reports issued on Tuesday.

The reports, publicized by two nonprofit sexual and youth health groups, said there were 9 million new cases of STD among teens and young adults aged 15 to 24 in 2000.

They said the U.S. government's policy of preferring abstinence-only education would only increase those rates.

"For the 27 million young Americans under the age of 25 who have had sex, the stakes are simply too high to talk only about abstinence," James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, said in a statement.

"Given the prevalence of STDs, young people need all the facts -- including medically accurate information on condoms."

The reports, released jointly by Advocates for Youth -- a nonprofit group advocating for sex education, and the sexual health-oriented Alan Guttmacher Institute, pull together information from several different publications.

They include a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) report in the latest issue of the journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, and a University of North Carolina report based on interviews with teens and young adults.

"Approximately 18.9 million new cases of STD occurred in 2000, of which 9.1 million (48 percent) were among persons aged 15 to 24," the CDC report reads.

It said three diseases -- human papillomavirus or genital wart virus, a parasitic infection called trichomoniasis and chlamydia -- accounted for 88 percent of all new cases of STDs in 15- to 24-year-olds. Wart virus is the major cause of cervical cancer while chlamydia can cause infertility.

POTENTIAL CAUSES

The CDC report did not comment on potential causes, but the Guttmacher Institute did.

"It is not surprising that teens and young adults contract a disproportionate number of infections," said Guttmacher's Sharon Camp. "Most young people are sexually active, and many are ill equipped to prevent STDs or seek testing and treatment."

She said sex education that includes information on condoms is vital to preventing STDs.

"Although abstaining from sexual activity is guaranteed to prevent STDs, some adolescents and virtually all young adults will eventually choose to have sex," Camp said.

"Before they do, they need realistic sex education that teaches them how to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies. It is essential to have medically accurate information about condoms and other contraceptive methods, and guidance on how to access appropriate prevention, testing and treatment services."

Teens 15 and older who have had sex have the highest STD rates of any age group in the country, and the United States has the highest STD rate of any industrialized country, according to CDC and World Health Organization (news - web sites) figures.

The University of North Carolina report attacked federal policies that encourage abstinence-only education.

"Abstinence is, of course, the only 100 percent effective prevention strategy," Shawn Carney, a 17-year-old member of the UNC youth panel, said in a statement.

"But with 70 percent of young people having sex by the age of 18, we need to hear about more than abstinence. We need to know how to prevent STDs when we do have sex later in life."

[Pyro7480]

Shocking news...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Its the Age of Clinton.

[PRND21]

Borders Language Cultures!

[ElkGroveDan]

perhaps because they are ignorant about protection or embarrassed to ask for it, according to several reports issued on Tuesday

Of course promiscuity and the constant ridicule of abstinence in our society has nothing to do with it.

[arkfreepdom]

They are getting STD's because they buy into the lie that condoms prevent STD's.

[FlyLow]

Are the other half abstaining or just too young to have sex yet?

[Bluntpoint]

Teens that attended Star Trek conventions had the lowest number of sexually transmitted diseases.

Teens that were able to speak in one or more of the "languages" spoken on Star Trek had zero occurrences of sexually transmitted diseases.

[Yak]

. . . the stakes are simply too high to talk only about abstinence

I can't stand this liberal double-talk! More logically, the stakes are too high to encourage sexual activity with condom use among teens. (I will not use the contradictory 'safe sex' term here).

[TheBigB]

vetlh 'oH [a] nep!

(translation: That is a lie! :)

[madprof98]

. . . perhaps because they are ignorant about protection or embarrassed to ask for it . . .

More likely because they lack the moral background and moral fiber to avoid the behavior which causes the diseases to start with. MUCH more likely, in fact. And all the instruction in the world about "protection" goes in one ear and out the other if the real message you hear is "Do whatever feels good to you."

I remember reading some older doctor's comments on the STD plague a couple years back. He remarked that when he began his practice, it was very rare for women to come to him with whatever STD was under discussion because, he said, it was equally rare for women in those days to do anything which would have caused them to catch it. Made me wonder what it was about people in the past that has changed for people in the present. I think it was not that the older folks had better instructions on how to purchase and use condoms.

[beckysueb]

There is a very simple way to stop this. Abstinence!

[Modernman]

Well, all good things have a price, I suppose.

At least the most common STD's are the least dangerous.

[billorites]

[Bluntpoint]

You do know that it is not really considered a date if duct tape and an unmarked van is used?

[Terpfen]

I'm 19, and I ain't in the half that has these diseases... crap, I've only had one girlfriend. Conservatism must not be very sexy.

[Rubber_Duckie_27]

I cannot comprehend why my peers seem unable to keep their pants on. I was raised by parents who reinforced that sex was not acceptable for teenagers, PERIOD.

One afternoon during my senior year of college, a number of us went to the bar for beer and a bull session...we got to talking about sex, and I was shocked to learn that I was the only one who had not had multiple partners - some of these 21-23 year olds had been with 10 or more! These were good kids, from "good" homes...they just felt that there was no need to wait for Mr. or Ms. Right to start screwing around.

My generation has been taught in school that "abstinence is the only 100% method...but WHEN you just can't hold out any more, it's OK to have sex as long as you're PROTECTED!" What a load of baloney.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Half of all young Americans will get a sexually transmitted disease by the age of 25

---

Sounds like more junk science from those who swore that AIDS would decimate the hetersexual community.

There is no info in the article about what the infection rate is TODAY for those in this age range.

It gives no info to suggest WHEN the 50% number will be reached.

It provides no evidence that this number will be reached.

Government grant hustlers trying to make themselves relevant.

(Not that there ain't serious problems out there.)

[american spirit]

I think a great idea would be to develope a new version of the "Scared Straight" video and have these young people spend time around an AIDS ward seeing people withering away or a psych ward seeing kids whose minds have been devastated by drugs, etc. while having the camera running full tilt and no editing.

[TheBigB]

Well, I considered it a date...even though the duct tape chafed my wrists. :)

[Bluntpoint]

Make sure you girlfriend stays in your half!

If not, don't believe her when she says she got it from the riding mower.