With the healthcare debate so focused on the Republicans’ fixation on ending Obamacare, it’s easy to overlook the fact that there is an on-going STD epidemic. In fact, the number of recently diagnosed STDs has hit an all-time high.
The lack of dealing with the problem means even more people will be diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease.
Last year, there were over two million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in the U.S. The highest number ever reported. The CDC said it was the third year in increases for these STDs.
Division of STD Prevention Director Gail Bolan said attention needs to be put on the nation’s most susceptible – 15 to 24 years old. The highest cases of STDs are seen in bisexual, gay men and men having sex with men.
Pregnant women with untreated STDs could pass the disease off to their baby.
Many antibiotics can be taken to treat these diseases. If untreated, it could lead to even more health problems.
1.6 million of the new cases were chlamydia where 470,000 of the cases were gonorrhea and 28,000 cases of syphilis – both primary and secondary.
Although parents don’t like to think about it, young people become sexually active adults. This is something lawmakers and parents don’t like to think about, hoping teenagers wait for until marriage to have sex or realize what they need to do to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and STDs.
Unfortunately, previous generations learned this the difficult way with the long-term consequences for their ignorance. Students should be learning about sex at home and by their parents, but this doesn’t always happen. Thus, schools need to hire experienced teachers to educate students on sexual behaviors and how to protect themselves should they become sexually active.
Written by Mark Riegel, MD
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