foodconsumer.org: STD Testing Offered DC High School Students

STD Testing Offered DC High School Students
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admin on 08/06/2009 18:51:00
 
By Rachel Stockton (rachels@foodconsumer.org)
High school students in Washington, DC will soon have the option to voluntarily
be tested for STDs.  Last year, school officials discovered that an alarmingly
high percentage (13%) of teenagers in the district tested positively for an STD;
gonorrhea and Chlamydia were most often reported.
The AIDS rate is the highest in the nation in DC; AIDS education advocates are
hoping the opportunity to test students and make them more aware of the dangers
of STDs will begin to decrease the infection rate of all STDs among students. 
Those who choose to be tested by attend a lecture on STDs.
According to the CDC, the number of people becoming infected with gonorrhea has
risen the last two years.  This is alarming because this particular increase
comes on the heels of a 20+ year period when gonorrhea percentages actually
decreased, due to the National Gonorrhea Control Program.
Dr. Stuart Berman, an epidemiologist with the CDC, released a report in December
of 2008 that revealed the startling prevalence of syphilis, gonorrhea and
Chlamydia throughout the nation. The segments of the population the most
devastated by the diseases are women, young adults and minorities.
All three of these most common STDs are curable with antibiotics.  The problem
is that many people who are spreading them don't realize they have them to begin
with.  Dr. Berman maintains that condoms also work in preventing the spread of
the STDs, but they must be used consistently and correctly.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea that go untreated in women can lead to pelvic
inflammatory disease, which is not only painful, but it can lead to infertility
and ectopic pregnancies.  They can also be passed on to babies at birth. 
Syphillis can also be passed on to babies, and can cause problems for a
lifetime.