1 in 4 teenage girls found to have sex-related disease
More than one in four teenage girls is infected with common sexually transmitted diseases, federal researchers reported Tuesday in a new study that for the first time quantifies a persistent problem.
Young women and girls ages 14 to 19 in "alarming" numbers are contracting human papilloma virus, chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis, said Dr. Sara Forhan, a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who led the study team. Almost half of black teens were infected.
An estimated 3.2 million have one or more of those four sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, all of which can cause permanent damage. Cancer-causing HPV was the most common STD by far, followed by chlamydia.
Teen girls get such diseases when they don't protect themselves by avoiding sex, using contraception and remaining monogamous. The problem of disease transmission is compounded because many do not get tested or treated, CDC officials said.
"They don't really think they can catch it. They just don't believe they would be the ones to get it," said Lourdes Salgado, 17, a Plantation High School senior who gives talks to students about how to avoid STDs.
STD rates were higher among black female teens, with 48 percent infected compared with 20 percent of white and Mexican teens, the study showed. CDC officials blamed the disparity partially on a lack of access to health care and education, but said the main reason is that STDs are more prevalent in the black community, making each sexual encounter more risky.
"This does not mean African-Americans are taking higher individual risks than other groups. In fact, research suggests the opposite," said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of sexually transmitted disease prevention at the CDC. Still, he said, the nation must face "this extraordinary racial disparity."
The high infection rates were not a surprise, said health officials in South Florida and elsewhere, but the study puts harder numbers to the problem. Researchers based the new estimate on a 2004 nationwide health assessment program that examined, among others, 838 teen girls in what was called a representative sample of the U.S. population.
No state breakdowns were done, but Florida has reported rising numbers of teen girls with STDs. Almost 14,000 girls ages 10 to 19 contracted chlamydia in 2005, including 1,100 in Broward and 615 in Palm Beach County. Overall, chlamydia cases rose 75 percent in the prior decade.
The four STDs are not considered as serious as HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea and syphilis, which were not tracked in the study. But all can damage the body if left untreated. HPV can cause cervical cancer, the bacterial infection chlamydia can lead to abnormal pregnancies, and genital herpes viruses and the parasite trichomoniasis can make it easier to catch HIV/AIDS.
The study showed that about half of teens reported being sexually active, and about 40 percent of those were infected.
A second CDC study showed that the nation's health care system misses many opportunities to test teen girls when they come into clinics for contraception, Douglas said. Only 38 percent who came in after unprotected sex were tested, counseled or treated.
"We need to do a better job on lots of different fronts," Douglas said.
An HPV vaccine for girls and women ages 11 to 26 has been available since 2006 but is controversial. Critics have argued that giving it to young girls may encourage promiscuity and expose them to side effects. But many advocates say it's a strategy for preventing an infection that kills 3,700 women annually.
A few states made the vaccine mandatory for school admission, while Florida and others have not.
Plantation High School's Salgado said South Florida teens often ignore advice to get tested because it's not easy to find or reach a testing site.
"It's far away and some can't get there," she said. "Some don't know about it. Some are scared to go because of their parents."
Salgado is leading a group organizing an HIV/AIDS testing day March 25 across from her school. A small-scale attempt at another school last month brought 46 teens to a mobile testing van, said Norman Powell, president and CEO of Comserv Inc., a community group.
SOURCE: Bob LaMendola, www.sun-sentinel.com
Young women and girls ages 14 to 19 in "alarming" numbers are contracting human papilloma virus, chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis, said Dr. Sara Forhan, a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who led the study team. Almost half of black teens were infected.
An estimated 3.2 million have one or more of those four sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, all of which can cause permanent damage. Cancer-causing HPV was the most common STD by far, followed by chlamydia.
Teen girls get such diseases when they don't protect themselves by avoiding sex, using contraception and remaining monogamous. The problem of disease transmission is compounded because many do not get tested or treated, CDC officials said.
"They don't really think they can catch it. They just don't believe they would be the ones to get it," said Lourdes Salgado, 17, a Plantation High School senior who gives talks to students about how to avoid STDs.
STD rates were higher among black female teens, with 48 percent infected compared with 20 percent of white and Mexican teens, the study showed. CDC officials blamed the disparity partially on a lack of access to health care and education, but said the main reason is that STDs are more prevalent in the black community, making each sexual encounter more risky.
"This does not mean African-Americans are taking higher individual risks than other groups. In fact, research suggests the opposite," said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of sexually transmitted disease prevention at the CDC. Still, he said, the nation must face "this extraordinary racial disparity."
The high infection rates were not a surprise, said health officials in South Florida and elsewhere, but the study puts harder numbers to the problem. Researchers based the new estimate on a 2004 nationwide health assessment program that examined, among others, 838 teen girls in what was called a representative sample of the U.S. population.
No state breakdowns were done, but Florida has reported rising numbers of teen girls with STDs. Almost 14,000 girls ages 10 to 19 contracted chlamydia in 2005, including 1,100 in Broward and 615 in Palm Beach County. Overall, chlamydia cases rose 75 percent in the prior decade.
The four STDs are not considered as serious as HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea and syphilis, which were not tracked in the study. But all can damage the body if left untreated. HPV can cause cervical cancer, the bacterial infection chlamydia can lead to abnormal pregnancies, and genital herpes viruses and the parasite trichomoniasis can make it easier to catch HIV/AIDS.
The study showed that about half of teens reported being sexually active, and about 40 percent of those were infected.
A second CDC study showed that the nation's health care system misses many opportunities to test teen girls when they come into clinics for contraception, Douglas said. Only 38 percent who came in after unprotected sex were tested, counseled or treated.
"We need to do a better job on lots of different fronts," Douglas said.
An HPV vaccine for girls and women ages 11 to 26 has been available since 2006 but is controversial. Critics have argued that giving it to young girls may encourage promiscuity and expose them to side effects. But many advocates say it's a strategy for preventing an infection that kills 3,700 women annually.
A few states made the vaccine mandatory for school admission, while Florida and others have not.
Plantation High School's Salgado said South Florida teens often ignore advice to get tested because it's not easy to find or reach a testing site.
"It's far away and some can't get there," she said. "Some don't know about it. Some are scared to go because of their parents."
Salgado is leading a group organizing an HIV/AIDS testing day March 25 across from her school. A small-scale attempt at another school last month brought 46 teens to a mobile testing van, said Norman Powell, president and CEO of Comserv Inc., a community group.
SOURCE: Bob LaMendola, www.sun-sentinel.com
Labels: AIDS, condoms, HIV, HIV Virus, news, prevention, safe sex, sexually transmitted diseases, STIs
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