A new CDC study estimates that one in four (26 %) young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States – or 3.2 million teenage girls – is infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis). The study, is the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common STDs among adolescent women in the United States, and provides the clearest picture to date of the overall STD burden in adolescent women.
The study also found that African-American teenage girls were most severely affected. Nearly half of the young African-American women (48 %) were infected with an STD, compared to 20 % of young white women. The two most common STDs overall were human papillomavirus, or HPV (18 %) and chlamydia (4 %).
High STD infection rates among young women, particularly young African-American women, are clear signs that women must continue STD screening and early treatment to prevent some of the most devastating effects of untreated STDs.
The CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for sexually active women under the age of 25. The CDC also recommends that girls and women between the ages of 11 and 26 who have not been vaccinated or who have not completed the full series of shots be fully vaccinated against HPV.
A new CDC study estimates that one in four (26 %) young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States – or 3.2 million teenage girls – is infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis). The study, is the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common STDs among adolescent women in the United States, and provides the clearest picture to date of the overall STD burden in adolescent women.
The study also found that African-American teenage girls were most severely affected. Nearly half of the young African-American women (48 %) were infected with an STD, compared to 20 % of young white women. The two most common STDs overall were human papillomavirus, or HPV (18 %) and chlamydia (4 %).
High STD infection rates among young women, particularly young African-American women, are clear signs that women must continue STD screening and early treatment to prevent some of the most devastating effects of untreated STDs.
The CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for sexually active women under the age of 25. The CDC also recommends that girls and women between the ages of 11 and 26 who have not been vaccinated or who have not completed the full series of shots be fully vaccinated against HPV.
Adapted from materials provided byCenter For Disease Control And Prevention