Slightly more than one in four US females ages 14-19 has an STD, according to a survey CDC researchers presented Tuesday at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in Chicago. The findings are based on 838 females who participated in the nationally representative 2003-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The first-of-its-kind study screened the teens for chlamydia, human papillomavirus (HPV), trichomoniasis, and herpes.
The STD rate for all those surveyed was 26 percent, which by extrapolation would be more than 3 million girls nationwide, CDC said. Nearly half the African Americans surveyed had at least one STD, compared to 20 percent each for whites and Mexican Americans.
Just half those surveyed reported having sex; among them, the STD rate was 40 percent, reported lead investigator Dr. Sara Forhan.
Among the teens, 18 percent were infected with HPV, which can cause cervical cancer; 4 percent had chlamydia infection, which can lead to infertility; 2.5 percent had trichomoniasis; and 2 percent had genital herpes.
The data likely reflect current prevalence, said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of CDC's Division of STD Prevention. STD screening is under-utilized, and many young girls do not think they are at risk, Douglas said. In addition, he said, some doctors erroneously believe: "Sexually transmitted diseases don't happen to the kinds of patients I see."
Given the potential consequences of STDs, "screening, vaccination, and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities," said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.
CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under age 25, HPV vaccination for girls ages 11-12, and catch-up HPV shots for females ages 13-26.
03/11/08
UNITED STATES: 1 in 4 US Teen Girls Has Sexually Transmitted Disease
Source: Associated Press:: Lindsey Tanner; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention